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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. stem — to come from
  3. fall — the season
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. mate — a friend
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fall — to drop
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. mate — a partner
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cue — a hint
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. cue — for pool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. hide — to keep secret

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