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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 116 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. cue — a hint
  3. race — the arms race
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cap — of ice
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. race — a contest
  21. cue — a signal
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. race — humankind

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