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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. chest — of your body
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. mug — a cup
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. snap — to click
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rest — a break
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. rest — what's left
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. net — for catching
  20. mug — a face
  21. net — after costs
  22. bass — low music
  23. rest — what's left
  24. net — in sport

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