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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 116 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cue — a signal
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. mug — a face
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stem — to come from
  7. tube — a container
  8. land — ground
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. ball — a great time
  11. mug — to rob
  12. cue — for pool
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. mug — a cup
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. land — to come down
  17. cue — a hint
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. land — a country
  21. tube — the underground
  22. wind — moving air
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. tube — in a tire

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