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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bear — the animal
  6. file — a line of people
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. file — a document
  9. cue — for pool
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bear — the animal
  14. file — a tool
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. degree — temperature
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rash — a series
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. degree — an amount
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cue — a hint
  24. stem — a stem cell

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