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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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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · club · bass · land · row · stem · mate · present

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. club — for golf
  3. stem — to come from
  4. club — a group
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. present — a gift
  8. bass — the fish
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. land — to come down
  11. club — for dancing
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. row — a line
  14. land — a country
  15. bass — low music
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — a friend
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. mate — to breed
  22. present — there
  23. land — ground
  24. present — the time now

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