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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. rule — a law
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. net — for catching
  9. pop — music
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. pop — to visit
  12. net — after costs
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bass — the fish
  16. rule — government
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bass — low music
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fork — in a road
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pop — soda
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. fork — a garden tool

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