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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pop — to visit
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. cap — of ice
  9. club — a group
  10. band — a ring
  11. kid — to tease
  12. mark — a trace
  13. cap — a hat
  14. pop — soda
  15. squash — the sport
  16. club — for golf
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. band — a music group
  20. club — for dancing
  21. mark — a grade
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pop — music
  24. squash — to crush

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