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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pitch — completely
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. saw — the tool
  6. club — for dancing
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. snap — to click
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bound — certain
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bound — tied together
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. club — for golf
  16. squash — the sport
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. club — a group
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wake — a trail

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