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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 · ruler · present · pitcher · cell · lie · spell · deal

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cell — in biology
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lie — to recline
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. present — the time now
  11. stem — to come from
  12. deal — to handle
  13. spell — a short time
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. cell — a phone
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. present — there
  24. present — a gift

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