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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. chest — a box
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mine — for digging
  11. lean — to bend
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. stand — to bear
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bass — low music
  21. stem — to come from
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wound — an injury
  24. lean — thin

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