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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. stem — to come from
  3. field — a subject
  4. charge — in control
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. field — farmland
  9. charge — a price
  10. rock — music
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pound — a weight
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bass — low music
  17. field — for sport
  18. rock — a stone
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bass — the fish
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mine — for digging

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