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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: spring · cabinet · stem · row · arm · temple · pitcher · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. spring — the season
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stem — to come from
  6. cell — in biology
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. spring — a coil
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spring — of water
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. cell — in a prison

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