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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. row — a line
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. tube — the underground
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. tube — a container
  12. stem — to come from
  13. ball — a dance
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cue — a hint
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. cue — a signal
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. ball — a great time
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cap — of ice
  24. stem — of a plant

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