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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. firm — steady
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bass — the fish
  7. stem — to come from
  8. rush — hurry
  9. firm — a company
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. firm — decided
  18. bat — the animal
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bark — to shout

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