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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. court — of law
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. court — of a king
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. face — to point toward
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. face — to confront
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. root — the cause
  16. bass — low music
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cell — in biology
  19. court — for sport
  20. root — of a word
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cell — a phone

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