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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. key — in music
  3. squash — the sport
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. squash — to crush
  6. branch — a division
  7. stem — to come from
  8. key — for a lock
  9. file — a line of people
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. cue — a signal
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. cue — a hint
  16. key — the most important part
  17. file — a tool
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. date — the fruit
  20. file — a document
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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