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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. spell — letters
  3. firm — steady
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bass — low music
  8. firm — a company
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. spell — a short time
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. stem — to come from
  13. drill — army training
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. firm — decided
  16. field — for sport
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. spell — magic
  19. field — a subject
  20. bass — the fish
  21. field — farmland
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — a practice

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