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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 120 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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. kid — child
  3. bass — low music
  4. spell — magic
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. spring — the season
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. kid — to tease
  19. spell — letters
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bass — the fish
  24. spring — of water

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