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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. fall — the season
  3. hand — in cards
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bass — low music
  8. cap — a hat
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. stem — to come from
  11. hand — help
  12. pop — soda
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. cap — of ice
  17. pop — to visit
  18. mine — for digging
  19. foot — a measure
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bass — the fish
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. pop — music
  24. hand — part of the body

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