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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 116 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pop — soda
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. rash — a series
  6. object — to protest
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. net — for catching
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. pop — to visit
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mine — for digging
  18. object — a thing
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. net — after costs
  21. pop — music
  22. object — an aim
  23. net — in sport
  24. wave — with your hand

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