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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. spring — a coil
  4. rush — hurry
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. snap — to click
  7. cue — for pool
  8. spring — the season
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. spring — of water
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. last — finally
  19. cue — a signal
  20. current — of water
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. stem — a stem cell

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