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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. land — ground
  3. stem — to come from
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. toast — bread
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. cell — in biology
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. land — to come down
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. cell — a phone
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. scale — size or range
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pop — soda
  21. land — a country
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. scale — in music
  24. pop — to visit

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