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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. stem — to come from
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bass — the fish
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bass — low music
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rush — hurry
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. hand — help
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. snap — to click
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. wake — a trail
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rash — a series
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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