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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 · season · wave · cell · kid · key · bat · cue

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. cue — a hint
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — in music
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. season — of the year
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. key — for a lock
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. cue — for pool
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. kid — child
  20. cell — in biology
  21. season — in sport
  22. kid — to tease
  23. stem — to come from
  24. cell — a phone

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