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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 116 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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bass — the fish
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. stem — to come from
  8. track — a song
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. band — a ring
  18. bass — low music
  19. pitch — completely
  20. track — a path
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. track — to keep track

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