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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rash — hasty
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. ball — a dance
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. tube — a container
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. present — the time now
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pound — a weight
  16. rash — a series
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. present — there
  22. present — a gift
  23. ball — a great time
  24. rash — on the skin

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