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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. stem — to come from
  3. season — of the year
  4. craft — boats
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. club — for dancing
  8. date — the fruit
  9. craft — a skill
  10. season — in sport
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. club — a group
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a music group
  20. club — for golf
  21. pop — soda
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pop — to visit
  24. band — a ring

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