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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. cue — for pool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. cue — a hint
  6. tear — from crying
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. stem — to come from
  11. ground — the earth
  12. tear — to rip
  13. march — the month
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. ground — crushed
  20. cue — a signal
  21. march — the month
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. tear — from crying
  24. march — music

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