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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stem — to come from
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. bass — the fish
  5. court — of a king
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. saw — the tool
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. field — farmland
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. court — of law
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — for sport
  18. court — for sport
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bass — low music
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. wake — a trail

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