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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pound — a weight
  4. fall — to drop
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bass — the fish
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stem — to come from
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bowl — a football final

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