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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: hand · fan · object · stem · date · kid · rule · snap

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. object — to protest
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. kid — child
  7. object — a thing
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. date — the fruit
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. stem — to come from
  14. rule — government
  15. object — an aim
  16. hand — in cards
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rule — a law
  20. kid — to tease
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to click
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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