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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — crushed
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pop — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. pop — soda
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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