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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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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: wake · mark · shower · stand · field · cue · stem · spell

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  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. shower — to wash
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. cue — a signal
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. spell — letters
  12. mark — a grade
  13. shower — rain
  14. field — farmland
  15. spell — magic
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stem — to come from
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. field — for sport
  21. spell — a short time
  22. field — a subject
  23. cue — a hint
  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