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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chip — to eat
  3. club — for dancing
  4. chip — for betting
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. fall — the season
  7. row — to paddle
  8. mine — for digging
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bass — low music
  12. prune — to trim
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for golf
  15. row — a line
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bass — the fish
  24. row — a quarrel

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