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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. band — a ring
  4. cell — in biology
  5. stem — to come from
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. firm — steady
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. firm — a company
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. firm — decided
  14. band — a music group
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — low music
  18. squash — to crush
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. band — a rubber band

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