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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. craft — boats
  4. rule — a law
  5. bass — low music
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. rule — government
  10. tube — a container
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tube — the underground
  13. craft — a skill
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. shower — rain
  16. stem — to come from
  17. pound — a weight
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. craft — a handicraft

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