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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 was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fine — high quality
  6. spell — magic
  7. rest — what's left
  8. net — after costs
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. stem — to come from
  13. spell — letters
  14. fine — all right
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rest — what's left
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bass — the fish
  21. rest — a break
  22. spell — a short time
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bass — low music

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