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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bass — low music
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — a lid
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. rash — a series
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. bass — the fish
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. field — for sport
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. tube — a container
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. cap — of ice
  21. rash — hasty
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. tube — the underground

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