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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — for pool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. land — ground
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. saw — the tool
  8. can — to be able to
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. kid — to tease
  12. cue — a signal
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. land — to come down
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. land — a country
  23. kid — child
  24. stem — to come from

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