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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · wave · wind · pop · stem · date

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. pop — to visit
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pop — soda
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. stem — to come from
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. date — the fruit
  16. snap — to click
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pop — music

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