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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: rest · cue · stem · mate · hand · land · spring · lie

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. stem — to come from
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. land — to come down
  6. cue — a hint
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hand — in cards
  9. spring — a coil
  10. cue — for pool
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. spring — of water
  14. land — ground
  15. rest — a break
  16. spring — the season
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — a partner
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rest — what's left
  21. lie — to recline
  22. mate — to breed
  23. cue — a signal
  24. hand — help

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