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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bass — low music
  3. lean — thin
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bound — certain
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bass — the fish
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bound — obliged
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mine — for digging
  20. stem — to come from
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mine — belonging to me

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