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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. rock — music
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. roll — a cake
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a list
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stem — to come from
  15. pass — a permit
  16. wind — moving air
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — a stone
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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