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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 116 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. kid — child
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bank — of a river
  8. ball — a great time
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pop — to visit
  11. stem — to come from
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. net — in sport
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. pop — music
  17. ball — a dance
  18. kid — to tease
  19. net — for catching
  20. bank — for money
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. net — after costs
  23. bank — for money
  24. fork — in a road

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