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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rest — what's left
  5. chair — a leader
  6. firm — decided
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — music
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rash — a series
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. pop — soda
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. rest — a break
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. firm — steady
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stem — to come from
  23. rest — what's left
  24. firm — a company

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