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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. rock — a stone
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. shower — rain
  6. rock — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stem — to come from
  13. pop — to visit
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bass — low music
  19. tear — to rip
  20. pop — music
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stem — a stem cell

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