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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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Word bank
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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 · kid · mate · lie · pass · tube · wound · cue

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pass — a permit
  3. stem — to come from
  4. mate — to breed
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cue — a hint
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. tube — a container
  10. lie — to recline
  11. tube — the underground
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wound — an injury
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. mate — a friend
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. mate — a partner
  19. kid — child
  20. cue — for pool
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cue — a signal
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. wound — an injury

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