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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 116 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. snap — to click
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. mate — a friend
  6. drill — the tool
  7. deal — to handle
  8. drill — a practice
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — the time now
  11. stem — to come from
  12. pop — music
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. mate — a partner
  15. drill — army training
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. tube — a container
  18. pop — soda
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pop — to visit
  21. mate — to breed
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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