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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: mug · bay · stem · cap · cell · swing · stock · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. swing — music
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. mug — a cup
  7. cell — a phone
  8. mug — a face
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. cap — of ice
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cell — in biology
  16. stock — goods
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mug — to rob
  21. cap — a hat
  22. stock — shares
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. stem — of a plant

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