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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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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: can · bass · stem · pit · ground · calf · clip · ball

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. ground — a position
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. can — a tin
  7. clip — a video
  8. bass — the fish
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bass — low music
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stem — to come from
  13. pit — in a race
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ground — crushed
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. clip — for paper
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. clip — to cut
  24. stem — a stem cell

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