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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. cue — a hint
  5. snap — to click
  6. row — a line
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bank — for money
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bank — for money
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bank — of a river
  14. stem — to come from
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. cue — a signal
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. row — to paddle
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. cue — for pool
  21. hand — help
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. hand — in cards

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