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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. drill — army training
  3. bass — the fish
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. row — a line
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. stem — to come from
  10. drill — a practice
  11. net — for catching
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. drill — the tool
  14. row — to paddle
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bark — to shout

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