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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. stem — to come from
  3. chest — of your body
  4. snap — to click
  5. pop — music
  6. chest — a box
  7. roll — a list
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. chest — of your body
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. roll — a cake
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. branch — a division
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. pop — soda
  24. jam — a tight spot

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