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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. object — to protest
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. object — an aim
  10. rest — what's left
  11. kid — child
  12. rest — a break
  13. cue — for pool
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cell — in biology
  19. object — a thing
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cue — a hint

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