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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: deal · toast · row · stem · cell · wound · ball · safe

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. stem — to come from
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. deal — to handle
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. row — a line
  8. cell — in biology
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. cell — a phone
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. toast — bread
  18. ball — a dance
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. ball — a great time
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. wound — an injury
  24. row — to paddle

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