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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. ball — a dance
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rest — what's left
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. pop — soda
  10. field — for sport
  11. rest — a break
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. pop — to visit
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pop — music
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. rest — what's left
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. cue — a hint
  23. deal — to handle
  24. stem — to come from

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