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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: stem · cue · firm · leaves · foot · snap · bear · spell

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. spell — letters
  3. stem — to come from
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. cue — for pool
  6. firm — decided
  7. snap — to click
  8. spell — magic
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. firm — steady
  13. foot — a measure
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bear — the animal
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bear — the animal

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