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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bass — the fish
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. sharp — clever
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — magic
  14. stem — to come from
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. stock — shares
  19. spell — a short time
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. stock — goods
  24. straw — a straw man

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