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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 got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. fall — to drop
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. fall — the season
  11. mark — a trace
  12. shower — rain
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bat — the animal
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. cue — for pool
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cue — a signal
  21. shower — to wash
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bear — the animal
  24. stem — of a plant

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