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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. clip — to cut
  4. firm — decided
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. charge — in control
  7. race — a contest
  8. firm — steady
  9. clip — for paper
  10. race — humankind
  11. bound — obliged
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — the season
  14. charge — a price
  15. bound — certain
  16. charge — electricity
  17. stem — to come from
  18. firm — a company
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. clip — a video
  21. bound — tied together
  22. spring — of water
  23. bass — the fish
  24. race — the arms race

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