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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 116 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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rock — music
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. stem — to come from
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. tube — a container
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. sharp — clever
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. cold — not warm
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. rock — a stone

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