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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. wake — a trail
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cue — a signal
  5. plane — a tool
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. stem — to come from
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cue — a hint
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — not warm
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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