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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
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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: land · tube · court · lie · pop · cue · stem · fork

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. land — a country
  4. pop — to visit
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pop — soda
  7. land — ground
  8. fork — in a road
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cue — a hint
  11. court — of law
  12. cue — for pool
  13. stem — to come from
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. cue — a signal
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pop — music
  19. land — to come down
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. court — of a king
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. lie — an untruth

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