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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 · ball · stem · toast · season · snap · club · cue

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. rush — hurry
  3. snap — to click
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. cue — a hint
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. season — of the year
  9. ball — a dance
  10. club — for dancing
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. stem — to come from
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. club — for golf
  17. season — in sport
  18. toast — bread
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. club — a group

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