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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a signal
  4. capital — money
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. prune — to trim
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. cap — a lid
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pound — a weight
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. cue — a hint
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. cap — a hat
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. kid — child
  21. capital — a city
  22. lie — to recline
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. stem — to come from

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