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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. capital — a city
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cue — a hint
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. cue — a signal
  10. dip — to sink
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. cue — for pool
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bear — the animal
  20. capital — money
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. perch — for a bird

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