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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. stock — goods
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bass — low music
  5. stock — shares
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. spring — of water
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bass — the fish
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. spring — a coil
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. can — to be able to
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. can — a tin
  22. pit — in a race
  23. can — a tin
  24. spring — the season

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