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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 124 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. last — to go on
  6. cue — a hint
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — army training
  9. cue — a signal
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. last — final
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. prune — to trim
  15. last — finally
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. drill — the tool
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rock — music
  20. pass — a permit
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. rock — a stone
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cue — for pool

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