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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. cue — a hint
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pound — a weight
  8. cue — a signal
  9. stem — to come from
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bound — tied together
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. cue — for pool
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. stem — of a plant

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