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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. stem — to come from
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bass — the fish
  5. club — for golf
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cell — a phone
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. last — finally
  12. bass — low music
  13. club — a group
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. last — final
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. clip — to cut
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. last — to go on
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. clip — a video
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. clip — for paper

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