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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pit — a hole
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bass — the fish
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. rest — what's left
  18. branch — a division
  19. kid — to tease
  20. pit — in a race
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. current — electric
  24. kid — child

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