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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: straw · cell · craft · cue · stem · spell · rest · board

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cell — in biology
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — boats
  5. spell — magic
  6. stem — to come from
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. rest — what's left
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. board — to get on
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. spell — letters
  15. rest — a break
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cue — a hint
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. spell — a short time
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — a committee
  24. rest — what's left

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