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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 116 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 · hide · wake · pit · content · dip · cold · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. cold — an illness
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. dip — to sink
  5. cue — a hint
  6. pit — in a race
  7. stem — to come from
  8. content — happy
  9. wake — a trail
  10. content — the amount
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. cue — a signal
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cue — for pool
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pit — a hole
  23. cold — not warm
  24. hide — animal skin

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