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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bass — the fish
  3. tube — a container
  4. bass — low music
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — an aim
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. stem — to come from
  10. field — a subject
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — a price
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. object — to protest
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. date — the fruit
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. stem — of a plant

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