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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. dip — to sink
  5. craft — boats
  6. cue — a signal
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. cue — for pool
  9. squash — to crush
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. squash — the sport
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. file — a tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. craft — a skill
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a document
  22. cue — a hint
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. squash — the vegetable

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