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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. mate — to breed
  3. ground — a position
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rash — hasty
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — a thing
  9. bass — low music
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bass — the fish
  12. stem — to come from
  13. object — to protest
  14. net — after costs
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — a partner
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. rash — a series
  24. ground — crushed

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