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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. stem — to come from
  3. wax — to grow
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bass — low music
  7. board — to get on
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. prune — to trim
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. fork — in a road
  22. chip — to eat
  23. board — a committee
  24. season — to add flavour

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