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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bass — low music
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bore — to tire
  5. date — the fruit
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. stem — to come from
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. ball — a dance
  18. kick — in football
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bass — the fish
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. rush — 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