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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. capital — money
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. tube — the underground
  6. capital — a city
  7. rash — a series
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. board — to get on
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. kid — to tease
  17. board — a committee
  18. bass — low music
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. kid — child
  22. rash — hasty
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. board — a flat piece

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