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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.

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: season · wind · pitcher · cue · bear · hide · arm · stem

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. season — in sport
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bear — the animal
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. wind — moving air
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a signal
  19. season — of the year
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bear — the animal
  24. stem — of a plant

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