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

Word bank: drill · bass · fall · stick · staff · stem

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bass — low music
  4. drill — a practice
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fall — the season
  7. drill — the tool
  8. fall — to drop
  9. staff — employees
  10. bass — the fish
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. staff — a stick
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. staff — employees
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stem — to come from

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