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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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. staff — a stick
  2. roll — a cake
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pop — soda
  5. staff — employees
  6. roll — a list
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pop — to visit
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bass — the fish
  13. stock — goods
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. stock — shares
  16. staff — employees
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. wax — to grow
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — low music
  22. pop — music
  23. pitch — completely
  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