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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. land — ground
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. stem — to come from
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. pop — soda
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. land — to come down
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bass — low music
  14. land — a country
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. staff — employees
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. pop — to visit
  19. staff — employees
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pop — music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. spell — magic

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