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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pitch — completely
  10. rest — a break
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. rest — what's left
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stem — to come from
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bass — the fish
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. tear — to rip

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