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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. foot — a measure
  4. stem — to come from
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. tube — the underground
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. snap — to click
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. tube — a container
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — a phone
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. fan — to cool the air

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