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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. tube — a container
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. stem — to come from
  10. tube — the underground
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bass — low music
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — in a road
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. kid — child
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. hide — to keep secret

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