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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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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: bass · deal · rock · pop · face · stem · stick · shower

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. shower — to wash
  3. rock — music
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pop — music
  6. bass — low music
  7. stem — to come from
  8. deal — to handle
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. pop — to visit
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bass — the fish
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. shower — rain
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pop — soda
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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