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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. spell — magic
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stock — goods
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rash — hasty
  14. spell — letters
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bass — low music
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. stock — shares
  22. spell — a short time
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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