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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. board — to get on
  3. land — ground
  4. bass — low music
  5. march — the month
  6. bass — the fish
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. mug — a face
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. land — to come down
  16. stem — to come from
  17. mug — to rob
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. land — a country
  20. march — the month
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. board — a committee
  23. march — music
  24. mug — a cup

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