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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bass — the fish
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. sharp — clever
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. race — a contest
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bass — low music
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — a friend
  14. stem — to come from
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. rock — music
  17. race — humankind
  18. bear — the animal
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mate — to breed
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. race — the arms race
  24. stem — a stem cell

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