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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 124 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. bass — the instrument
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bore — to tire
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. track — a path
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. staff — employees
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — magic
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — to confront
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bass — the fish
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bass — low music
  20. track — a song
  21. staff — employees
  22. spell — letters
  23. track — to keep track
  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