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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. prune — to trim
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. prune — to trim
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — a contest
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. race — humankind
  15. last — to go on
  16. bass — the fish
  17. last — final
  18. bass — low music
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. last — finally
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — a football final

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