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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · game · cue · spring · stick · squash · safe · stem

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. squash — to crush
  5. spring — a coil
  6. cue — for pool
  7. spring — the season
  8. cue — a hint
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. spring — of water
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. game — wild animals
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. cue — a signal
  21. stem — to come from
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. squash — the sport
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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