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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. scale — in music
  5. last — final
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fine — all right
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. fall — to drop
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bass — low music
  14. last — finally
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. fall — the season
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fall — to drop
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. last — to go on

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