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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. cue — a signal
  3. ground — a position
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pop — to visit
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. can — a tin
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pop — soda
  14. cue — for pool
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wind — moving air
  17. present — there
  18. can — a tin
  19. present — a gift
  20. pop — music
  21. cue — a hint
  22. present — the time now
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. ground — crushed

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