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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bass — low music
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. suit — clothes
  6. band — a music group
  7. fall — to drop
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. band — a ring
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. bass — the fish
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — in cards
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fall — the season
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. date — the fruit
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. wake — a trail

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