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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 120 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: row · plane · bulb · snap · stem · rash · cue · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. row — to paddle
  11. snap — to click
  12. cue — a signal
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. cue — a hint
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. cue — for pool
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. plane — a tool
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. pound — a weight
  24. stem — of a plant

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