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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. root — of a word
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. mate — to breed
  9. rest — a break
  10. bass — low music
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bound — tied together
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. stem — to come from
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bound — obliged
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. mate — a friend
  21. root — the cause
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bound — certain
  24. stem — a stem cell

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