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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. drill — a practice
  3. present — a gift
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. root — the cause
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. drill — army training
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. stock — shares
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. wax — to grow
  16. root — of a word
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. present — the time now
  20. root — of a plant
  21. drill — the tool
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. present — there

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