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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: chest · bank · stem · mark · hide · cell · mug · kick

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. kick — in football
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bank — for money
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. chest — of your body
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bank — for money
  11. chest — a box
  12. mark — a trace
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — a phone
  15. mug — a face
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bank — of a river
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. mug — to rob
  23. cell — in biology
  24. stem — to come from

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