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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. spring — the season
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. tube — the underground
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bass — the fish
  10. spring — a coil
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. spring — of water
  15. tube — a container
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. deal — to handle
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bass — low music
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. foot — a measure
  24. tube — in a tire

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