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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: track · cue · stem · swing · mate · kid · rest · calf

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. swing — to play on
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rest — what's left
  5. track — a path
  6. mate — to breed
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rest — what's left
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. track — to keep track
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. kid — to tease
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. kid — child
  18. track — a song
  19. swing — in golf
  20. rest — a break
  21. mate — a partner
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. swing — music
  24. cue — a hint

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