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

Word bank: bass · pound · stem · band · nail · firm · rest · court

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bass — the fish
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bass — low music
  7. court — of a king
  8. rest — a break
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — decided
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. firm — steady
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. court — of law
  22. court — for sport
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. nail — for a hammer

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