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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — the animal
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. prune — to trim
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — to drill
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — for pool
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. leaves — to go away

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