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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bass — the fish
  3. stem — to come from
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. lean — to bend
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. ground — a position
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. ground — the earth
  11. tube — a container
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bass — low music
  16. tube — the underground
  17. lean — thin
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. lean — to rest against

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