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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: snap · straw · present · cell · mine · stem · race · arm

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. cell — in biology
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. mine — for digging
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. race — humankind
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. race — the arms race
  13. stem — to come from
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. snap — to click
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. race — a contest
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. present — a gift
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. present — the time now
  24. cell — a phone

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