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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. tube — the underground
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bound — tied together
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bound — obliged
  9. cue — a signal
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wind — moving air
  13. toast — bread
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. tube — a container
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bound — certain
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — soda
  20. stem — to come from
  21. pop — music
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — an amount

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