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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. ground — crushed
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. shower — rain
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cap — a lid
  10. ground — a position
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bass — low music
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. cap — of ice
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bore — to tire
  19. cap — a hat
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. toast — bread
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. shower — to wash

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