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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 shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. kid — child
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. stem — to come from
  7. kid — to tease
  8. capital — money
  9. shower — to wash
  10. cue — for pool
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. shower — rain
  15. capital — a city
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mine — for digging
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — a hint
  24. rush — hurry

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