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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. wind — moving air
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bulb — for light
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bass — low music
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bass — the fish
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mug — a cup
  12. wind — moving air
  13. track — to keep track
  14. mug — to rob
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. fall — the season
  18. track — a path
  19. mug — a face
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. wind — to turn a key

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