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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tube · swing · cell · cabinet · wound · stem · scale · squash

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. scale — size or range
  5. tube — the underground
  6. cell — a phone
  7. swing — in golf
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stem — to come from
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. squash — the sport
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. swing — music
  15. squash — to crush
  16. swing — to play on
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. scale — in music
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. tube — a container
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cabinet — ministers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com