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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. face — part of the head
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cue — a signal
  8. stem — to come from
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. face — to point toward
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cue — for pool
  14. rash — hasty
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — for a lock
  17. prune — to trim
  18. key — in music
  19. rash — a series
  20. prune — to trim
  21. deal — to handle
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. face — to confront
  24. deal — an agreement

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