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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. field — a subject
  6. cue — a hint
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. cue — for pool
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. present — a gift
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. present — there
  16. field — farmland
  17. cue — a signal
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. field — for sport
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. stem — to come from
  22. date — the fruit
  23. present — the time now
  24. wake — a trail

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