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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. squash — to crush
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stem — to come from
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — to sink
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cue — a signal
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. wound — an injury

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