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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. march — music
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. march — the month
  9. bound — tied together
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bound — certain
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bass — low music
  15. rash — a series
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bound — obliged
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. march — the month
  24. leaves — to go away

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