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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 be taking the ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. cue — for pool
  3. snap — to click
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stem — to come from
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. spring — the season
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cue — a hint
  12. fall — the season
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cue — a signal
  15. tube — a container
  16. fall — to drop
  17. spring — a coil
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. fall — to drop
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. spring — of water

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