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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pop — to visit
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bore — to tire
  6. kid — child
  7. cue — a hint
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pop — music
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pop — soda
  18. can — to be able to
  19. prune — to trim
  20. can — a tin
  21. cue — for pool
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. can — a tin

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