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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pop — soda
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rock — music
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bank — for money
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bass — the fish
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. pop — music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. spell — letters
  21. bank — for money
  22. perch — the fish
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. bank — of a river

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