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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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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 · kick · present · wax · date · temple · wound · cue

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  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. cue — a signal
  2. kick — in football
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. present — the time now
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. date — the fruit
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wax — to grow
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. present — there
  16. present — a gift
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. cue — a hint
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wound — an injury
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wound — an injury
  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