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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. vault — a safe
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mate — a partner
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. cue — a hint
  9. prune — to trim
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. cue — for pool
  12. stem — to come from
  13. snap — to click
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. mate — a friend
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. foot — a measure
  22. cue — a signal
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. mate — to breed

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