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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. hand — in cards
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cue — a signal
  6. tear — from crying
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. root — the cause
  10. cue — a hint
  11. game — wild animals
  12. hand — help
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — of a plant
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. snap — to click
  21. cue — for pool
  22. tear — to rip
  23. sharp — clever
  24. game — a match

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