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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. last — final
  3. scale — in music
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bore — to drill
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. cue — for pool
  8. last — finally
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bear — the animal
  12. last — to go on
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bear — the animal

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