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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 120 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: stem · bat · mate · charge · chair · spring · rest · cell

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. cell — a phone
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. charge — a price
  7. rest — a break
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. mate — a friend
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. charge — in control
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mate — to breed
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mate — a partner
  20. spring — of water
  21. chair — a leader
  22. charge — electricity
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bat — for baseball

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