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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. last — finally
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. last — final
  7. kid — to tease
  8. track — a song
  9. cue — a signal
  10. ground — a position
  11. kid — child
  12. last — to go on
  13. track — a path
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. ground — the earth
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. ground — crushed
  19. track — to keep track
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. cue — a hint
  22. stem — to come from
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. stem — a stem cell

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