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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. land — a country
  4. bass — low music
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. can — a tin
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. land — ground
  13. can — a tin
  14. land — to come down
  15. can — to be able to
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. row — a line
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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