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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. shower — to wash
  3. drill — a practice
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pop — soda
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. rest — a break
  8. shower — rain
  9. pass — a permit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pop — music
  12. drill — army training
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bass — the fish
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. stem — to come from
  17. rest — what's left
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pop — to visit
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. stem — a stem cell

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