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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. suit — to fit
  4. tear — from crying
  5. scale — in music
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. tear — to rip
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. suit — in cards
  10. stem — to come from
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the fish
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. scale — size or range
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. suit — clothes
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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