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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: cue · rest · land · deal · stem · racket · lean · row

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rest — what's left
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. row — a line
  6. cue — for pool
  7. land — ground
  8. land — to come down
  9. rest — a break
  10. land — a country
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. deal — to handle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. cue — a hint
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — to come from
  18. lean — thin
  19. cue — a signal
  20. row — to paddle
  21. rest — what's left
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. lean — to bend
  24. deal — a big deal

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