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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bass — the fish
  5. kid — to tease
  6. staff — employees
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bear — the animal
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. cue — a hint
  14. staff — a stick
  15. bass — low music
  16. bear — the animal
  17. kid — child
  18. cue — a signal
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. cue — for pool
  22. staff — employees
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. drill — army training

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