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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bound — tied together
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. plane — a tool
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bound — obliged
  15. march — music
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bound — certain
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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