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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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cue — for pool
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. stem — to come from
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — child
  19. bear — the animal
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. cue — a signal
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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