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

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. spell — magic
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — for pool
  5. spell — a short time
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. cue — a signal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. spell — letters
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. pop — soda
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. pop — to visit
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. pop — music
  19. stem — to come from
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — in sport
  22. bark — to shout
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. rock — a stone

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