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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. stock — goods
  4. staff — employees
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. staff — employees
  10. swing — music
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. staff — a stick
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. swing — in golf
  18. stock — shares
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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