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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. stem — to come from
  3. pop — to visit
  4. rock — music
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. fall — to drop
  7. deal — to handle
  8. fall — the season
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. row — a line
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rock — a stone
  16. pop — soda
  17. row — to paddle
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pop — 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