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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. cue — a signal
  3. kid — child
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. row — to paddle
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. cue — a hint
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. row — a line
  14. bank — of a river
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bank — for money
  22. kid — to tease
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bank — for money

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