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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. cue — a signal
  3. saw — the tool
  4. charge — a price
  5. net — for catching
  6. shower — to wash
  7. cue — a hint
  8. field — for sport
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. charge — electricity
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pound — a weight
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. shower — rain
  22. charge — in control
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cue — for pool

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