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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.

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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 · bound · calf · kid · stem · file · stick · lie

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bound — obliged
  4. cue — a hint
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. kid — to tease
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. file — a tool
  10. lie — to recline
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cue — for pool
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bound — certain
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. file — a line of people
  19. kid — child
  20. stem — to come from
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. file — a document
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bound — tied together

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