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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pop — soda
  3. dip — to sink
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — to breed
  6. net — for catching
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. net — in sport
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — a group
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. mate — a friend
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pop — music
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. pop — to visit
  22. net — after costs
  23. bark — to shout
  24. club — for dancing

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