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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: kick · cue · mine · stem · bark · racket · swing · cell

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  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. swing — music
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bark — to shout
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — in football
  12. mine — for digging
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cue — a hint
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. racket — for tennis
  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