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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. hand — help
  3. stem — to come from
  4. track — a path
  5. hand — in cards
  6. track — a song
  7. fork — in a road
  8. track — to keep track
  9. club — a group
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bass — the fish
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. club — for golf
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. bass — low music
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. club — for dancing

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