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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  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. bowl — a football final
  2. wake — a trail
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. cue — a hint
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. cue — a signal
  8. rock — music
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. spring — of water
  11. rock — a stone
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. cue — for pool
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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