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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. club — for dancing
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — there
  8. bass — low music
  9. rest — a break
  10. net — in sport
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. rest — what's left
  13. club — for golf
  14. spring — the season
  15. rest — what's left
  16. net — for catching
  17. spring — of water
  18. club — a group
  19. present — a gift
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. plane — a tool
  22. spring — a coil
  23. net — after costs
  24. stem — to come from

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