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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. spring — a coil
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spring — of water
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. cue — a hint
  9. mine — for digging
  10. spring — the season
  11. fork — in a road
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. current — happening now
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. current — electric
  20. cue — a signal
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. current — of water
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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