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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: cue · wind · snap · stick · rock · stem · wound · lash

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. cue — a hint
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rock — a stone
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stem — to come from
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cue — for pool
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cue — a signal
  21. snap — to click
  22. rock — music
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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