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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. sharp — clever
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. fall — to drop
  10. current — happening now
  11. track — a song
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. fall — the season
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. current — of water
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. fall — to drop
  22. current — electric
  23. pass — a permit
  24. stem — a stem cell

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