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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bass — the fish
  3. shower — to wash
  4. stem — to come from
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. club — for dancing
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. shower — rain
  10. club — for golf
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. fine — high quality
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. fine — all right
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bass — low music
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. snap — to click
  24. hide — to keep secret

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