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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stem — to come from
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pop — to visit
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. staff — a stick
  10. ground — a position
  11. net — for catching
  12. staff — employees
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pop — soda
  15. net — after costs
  16. pop — music
  17. staff — employees
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. rest — a break
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. rest — what's left
  24. net — in sport

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