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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. court — of law
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cell — in biology
  7. club — a group
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bound — obliged
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. court — for sport
  16. bound — certain
  17. court — of a king
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cell — a phone
  20. tube — a container
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bear — to put up with

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