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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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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: date · lie · field · leaves · cue · tear · suit · snap

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. suit — clothes
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. field — a subject
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. tear — from crying
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cue — a hint
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. lie — to recline
  17. suit — in cards
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. cue — for pool
  20. date — the fruit
  21. tear — from crying
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. suit — to fit

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