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

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pitch — completely
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. band — a ring
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. stem — to come from
  11. net — for catching
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. net — after costs
  14. mine — for digging
  15. net — in sport
  16. band — a music group
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pitch — a sports field

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