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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: cue · temple · snap · straw · stem · patient · cold · cell

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stem — to come from
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cell — in biology
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cue — for pool
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cue — a signal
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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