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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. pop — music
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. plane — a tool
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. pop — soda
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mine — for digging
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bass — low music
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. pop — to visit
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bass — the fish
  24. spell — magic

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