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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bear — the animal
  6. field — for sport
  7. mine — for digging
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cue — a hint
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. prune — to trim
  21. field — a subject
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. field — farmland

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