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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. pop — soda
  3. cold — not warm
  4. rock — a stone
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. hand — in cards
  7. band — a music group
  8. firm — steady
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. firm — decided
  16. pop — music
  17. band — a ring
  18. pop — to visit
  19. rock — music
  20. stem — to come from
  21. cold — an illness
  22. hand — help
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. firm — a company

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