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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. suit — clothes
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. march — the month
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. march — music
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stem — to come from
  15. march — the month
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. hand — help
  18. bass — the fish
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bass — low music
  24. suit — to fit

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