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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. club — for golf
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — music
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bound — obliged
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — low music
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. club — a group
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pop — to visit
  21. dip — to sink
  22. plane — a tool
  23. club — for dancing
  24. plane — an aircraft

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