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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. scale — size or range
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ground — crushed
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. ground — the earth
  15. stem — to come from
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. firm — steady
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. pop — music
  21. scale — in music
  22. pop — soda
  23. ground — a position
  24. firm — decided

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