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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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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: stem · cue · chest · cell · lash · face · suit · content

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. chest — of your body
  3. suit — to fit
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. cue — a signal
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cell — in biology
  8. face — part of the head
  9. suit — clothes
  10. cue — for pool
  11. content — the amount
  12. face — to point toward
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. chest — a box
  16. suit — in cards
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. content — happy
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. chest — of your body
  21. face — to confront
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cue — a hint

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