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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cue — for pool
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cue — a hint
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wound — an injury
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. kick — in football
  12. lean — thin
  13. cue — a signal
  14. club — for dancing
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. club — for golf
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. lean — to bend
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. club — a group
  24. stem — to come from

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