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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 116 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. content — the amount
  3. cue — a signal
  4. chip — for betting
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cue — a hint
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. chip — to eat
  11. tear — to rip
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. tear — from crying
  14. content — happy
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cue — for pool
  17. perch — the fish
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. mine — for digging
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. tear — from crying

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