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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. key — for a lock
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. rest — what's left
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. key — the most important part
  16. branch — a division
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bass — the fish
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. stem — to come from
  24. straw — dry grass

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