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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bass — low music
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bank — for money
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. race — a contest
  9. stem — to come from
  10. roll — a cake
  11. race — humankind
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. cue — a hint
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bank — for money
  17. roll — a list
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cue — for pool
  21. race — the arms race
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bass — the fish
  24. stem — a stem cell

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