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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. kid — to tease
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bass — the fish
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. lean — thin
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a plant
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. root — of a word
  20. bass — low music
  21. fall — the season
  22. stem — to come from
  23. kid — child
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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