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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — to come from
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — to handle
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. board — a committee
  11. cold — an illness
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. net — in sport
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. net — for catching
  17. board — to get on
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. net — after costs
  21. bass — the fish
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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