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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bass — low music
  7. ground — the earth
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. ground — a position
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. kid — child
  14. bass — the fish
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. kid — to tease
  17. ground — crushed
  18. snap — to speak sharply

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