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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bass — low music
  3. stem — to come from
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. can — a tin
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. can — a tin
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bass — the fish
  15. can — to be able to
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fork — in a road
  18. hide — to keep secret

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