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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. drill — army training
  2. band — a ring
  3. stem — to come from
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. band — a music group
  7. scale — in music
  8. clip — a video
  9. drill — the tool
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bass — low music
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. scale — size or range
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. clip — for paper
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. foot — a measure
  19. drill — a practice
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bass — the instrument
  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