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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 120 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wake — a trail
  5. club — for dancing
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. fall — the season
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pitch — completely
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. stem — to come from
  18. fall — to drop
  19. club — for golf
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a music group
  22. hand — help
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pitch — a sports field

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