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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. cap — a hat
  3. stock — goods
  4. cap — of ice
  5. last — final
  6. bore — to tire
  7. last — finally
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — for pool
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. last — to go on
  12. cap — a lid
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. cue — a signal
  16. current — happening now
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. stock — shares
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. current — of water
  22. current — electric
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bore — to drill

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