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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. ball — a great time
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bass — low music
  9. snap — to click
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bass — the fish
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wax — to grow
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. rash — a series
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. stem — to come from

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