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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. kid — to tease
  4. mug — a face
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mug — to rob
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. wind — moving air
  13. saw — the tool
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — for pool
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. kid — child
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cue — a signal
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. mug — a cup

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