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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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cue — a hint
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. cue — for pool
  8. stem — to come from
  9. root — of a plant
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bark — to shout
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — the cause
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. cue — a signal

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