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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pop — soda
  3. rock — music
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. land — to come down
  8. bank — for money
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bank — of a river
  12. pop — music
  13. land — a country
  14. rock — a stone
  15. land — ground
  16. spring — the season
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. spring — of water
  22. wound — an injury
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bank — for money

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