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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 116 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bass — the fish
  17. rash — a series
  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