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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stem — to come from
  3. land — to come down
  4. bass — low music
  5. land — ground
  6. bass — the fish
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — clothes
  10. vault — a safe
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. suit — to fit
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. file — a document
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. rush — hurry
  22. wound — an injury
  23. land — a country
  24. rush — to hurry

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