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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. march — the month
  4. bass — the fish
  5. march — music
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bass — low music
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. march — the month
  13. hand — in cards
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. hand — help
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. face — to confront
  24. stem — to come from

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