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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. bass — low music
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bark — to shout
  10. cue — for pool
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bass — the fish
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. hand — help
  24. trunk — of a tree

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