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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. cell — in biology
  3. mine — for digging
  4. ball — a great time
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rest — a break
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. current — of water
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bass — the fish
  13. stem — to come from
  14. current — electric
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. current — happening now

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