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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. pass — a permit
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. march — the month
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bore — to tire
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. march — music
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. march — the month
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bass — the instrument

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