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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. rash — a series
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. net — for catching
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. net — in sport
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bass — low music
  11. net — after costs
  12. scale — in music
  13. firm — decided
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. firm — steady
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. wake — a trail
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. wound — an injury
  21. scale — size or range
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bass — the instrument
  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