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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — to visit
  3. cue — a signal
  4. pop — music
  5. cue — for pool
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. field — a subject
  11. bass — low music
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. cue — a hint
  17. field — for sport
  18. bass — the fish
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. field — farmland
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — to come from

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