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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. club — for golf
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. roll — a cake
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. fall — to drop
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. band — a music group
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. ball — a dance
  12. roll — a list
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. stem — to come from
  15. fall — the season
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fall — to drop
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. club — a group
  20. band — a ring
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. ball — a great time
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. club — for dancing

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