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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. band — a music group
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. dip — to sink
  6. court — of a king
  7. saw — the tool
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. press — newspapers
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — to push
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bass — the fish
  18. court — for sport
  19. bass — low music
  20. stem — to come from
  21. court — of law
  22. saw — the tool
  23. band — a ring
  24. deal — to handle

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