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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — low music
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. spell — magic
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spell — a short time
  12. squash — the sport
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. deal — to handle
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stem — to come from
  18. field — farmland
  19. spell — letters
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. squash — to crush

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