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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. spell — magic
  3. cue — a signal
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cue — a hint
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pop — to visit
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. stem — to come from
  13. pop — soda
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a plant
  18. cue — for pool
  19. spell — letters
  20. date — the fruit
  21. root — of a word
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. stem — a stem cell

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