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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bass — low music
  11. rule — a law
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. band — a ring
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bass — the fish
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rule — government
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. land — ground
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. land — a country
  23. band — a music group
  24. land — to come down

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