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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. stand — to bear
  4. land — ground
  5. squash — to crush
  6. foot — a measure
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. cue — a hint
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. land — a country
  14. squash — the sport
  15. snap — to click
  16. stem — to come from
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. cue — for pool
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. cue — a signal

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