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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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Word bank
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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: deal · last · stem · mug · net · cell · cold · pass

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. net — in sport
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cell — in biology
  6. net — for catching
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. mug — a cup
  9. cold — not warm
  10. last — finally
  11. mug — to rob
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. deal — to handle
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. net — after costs
  19. mug — a face
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — to come from
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — final
  24. deal — an agreement

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