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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. ground — crushed
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — rain
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bass — the fish
  11. mate — a partner
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stem — to come from
  16. foot — a measure
  17. ground — a position
  18. snap — to click
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mate — to breed
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. stem — a stem cell

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