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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. scale — size or range
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. lie — to recline
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. cold — an illness
  12. snap — to click
  13. cue — a signal
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cue — for pool
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. stem — to come from
  23. cold — not warm
  24. scale — in music

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