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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.

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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: cold · straw · mark · wake · cue · chip · cap · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. cue — a hint
  7. stem — to come from
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cold — an illness
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cap — of ice
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wake — a trail
  16. chip — for betting
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cold — not warm
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cap — a hat
  21. mark — a trace
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. chip — to eat
  24. mark — to pay attention

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