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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: pit · straw · stem · cue · dip · calf · wave · fine

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. fine — all right
  3. cue — a signal
  4. fine — high quality
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. cue — a hint
  9. pit — in a race
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. pit — a hole
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. dip — to sink
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. cue — for pool
  24. stem — a stem cell

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