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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — for golf
  3. present — there
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — to come from
  7. tube — the underground
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. present — the time now
  11. rest — a break
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — a container
  14. face — to point toward
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. face — part of the head
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. face — to confront
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wound — an injury
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. club — a group
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. present — a gift

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