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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 120 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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a ring
  10. mine — for digging
  11. key — for a lock
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. band — a music group
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bass — low music
  22. key — in music
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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