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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: date · cue · nail · bear · stem · cap · wind · calf

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. cue — a signal
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — for pool
  9. stem — to come from
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bear — the animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cap — a hat
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. cap — of ice
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cap — a lid
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wind — moving air
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wind — to turn a key

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