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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 120 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 don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. rock — music
  3. shower — to wash
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pop — to visit
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. foot — a measure
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. shower — rain
  14. staff — a stick
  15. snap — to click
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. stem — to come from
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. staff — employees
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rock — a stone
  24. staff — employees

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