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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 124 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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. march — the month
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — the fish
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. march — the month
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. scale — in music
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. scale — size or range
  22. march — music
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. mouse — for a computer

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