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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · ground · mug · cell · stem · hand · toast · pop

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. pop — to visit
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. mug — a face
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pop — soda
  8. mug — to rob
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — crushed
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pop — music
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. hand — help
  16. mug — a cup
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. ground — the earth
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. cell — a phone
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. toast — bread

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