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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. cue — a signal
  7. stem — to come from
  8. spring — of water
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. can — a tin
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. spring — the season
  13. can — a tin
  14. cue — for pool
  15. wax — to grow
  16. spring — a coil
  17. can — to be able to
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. cue — a hint
  21. snap — to click
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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