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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pop — music
  3. rest — what's left
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. stem — to come from
  6. mine — for digging
  7. net — for catching
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. rest — a break
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. band — a ring
  13. chip — for betting
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. band — a music group
  17. chip — to eat
  18. net — after costs
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. net — in sport
  21. pop — to visit
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pop — soda

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