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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: toast · stem · cue · saw · file · tear · key · dip

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. cue — a hint
  4. toast — bread
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. key — in music
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cue — a signal
  10. tear — to rip
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. dip — to sink
  14. file — a line of people
  15. key — for a lock
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. file — a tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. key — the most important part
  22. file — a document
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cue — for pool

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