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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cold — an illness
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mark — a grade
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — there
  9. bass — the fish
  10. tear — to rip
  11. present — the time now
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. cold — not warm
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. stem — to come from
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. tear — from crying

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