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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. cue — a signal
  6. stem — to come from
  7. game — a match
  8. kid — to tease
  9. prune — to trim
  10. content — happy
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. kid — child
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. cue — a hint
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pass — a permit
  19. content — the amount
  20. game — wild animals
  21. cue — for pool
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. prune — to trim

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