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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bass — low music
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bound — certain
  5. rule — a law
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to click
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bass — the fish
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. rush — hurry
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bound — tied together
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — a group
  21. rule — government
  22. club — for golf
  23. stem — to come from
  24. mine — for digging

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