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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. stem — to come from
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bear — the animal
  14. band — a ring
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. hand — help
  18. band — a music group
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. hand — in cards
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. game — a match
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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