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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 · rest · fall · cap · present · club · cell · kid

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. cap — a hat
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cell — in biology
  5. present — the time now
  6. rest — what's left
  7. club — for dancing
  8. kid — to tease
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. fall — the season
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. club — for golf
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cell — a phone
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. club — a group
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. present — a gift
  20. rest — a break
  21. cap — a lid
  22. stem — to come from
  23. present — there
  24. kid — child

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