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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — a list
  6. land — to come down
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bass — the fish
  10. can — a tin
  11. stem — to come from
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bark — to shout
  16. land — ground
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. land — a country
  22. kid — child
  23. snap — to click
  24. bass — low music

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