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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. band — a music group
  3. rest — a break
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. stem — to come from
  8. prune — to trim
  9. band — a ring
  10. firm — a company
  11. land — a country
  12. rest — what's left
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. mine — for digging
  17. firm — decided
  18. bass — low music
  19. firm — steady
  20. rest — what's left
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. prune — to trim

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