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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 120 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. ball — a great time
  3. tear — from crying
  4. march — music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. march — the month
  14. tear — to rip
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rest — a break
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. rash — a series
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. march — the month
  24. bass — low music

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