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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. ball — a dance
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. cue — a signal
  9. object — a thing
  10. cold — not warm
  11. object — an aim
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. spring — a coil
  16. dip — to sink
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. ball — a great time
  21. cue — for pool
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. cold — an illness

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