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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.

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: rush · cue · mouse · perch · bulb · stem · season · cell

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. season — of the year
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cell — a phone
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. season — in sport
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cell — in biology

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