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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 116 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mate — to breed
  3. swing — to play on
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mate — a partner
  6. ground — the earth
  7. stem — to come from
  8. present — the time now
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mate — a friend
  11. present — there
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. hand — help
  14. present — a gift
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. swing — in golf
  17. ground — a position
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ground — crushed
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. swing — music

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