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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: stem · stick · tear · hand · ground · tube · cue · suit

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — the earth
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. suit — in cards
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cue — for pool
  10. hand — help
  11. suit — to fit
  12. hand — in cards
  13. ground — a position
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tube — a container
  17. cue — a signal
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tear — from crying
  21. suit — clothes
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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