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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 116 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. stem — to come from
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. charge — a price
  7. band — a ring
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. band — a music group
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cell — a phone
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cell — in biology
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — in control
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. spell — letters
  21. face — part of the head
  22. spell — magic
  23. face — to confront
  24. cell — in a prison

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