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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 120 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: spell · bass · stem · swing · chest · drill · cue · foot

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. spell — letters
  3. foot — a measure
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. cue — a signal
  6. spell — magic
  7. swing — in golf
  8. cue — a hint
  9. spell — a short time
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bass — the fish
  12. drill — army training
  13. cue — for pool
  14. swing — to play on
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. drill — the tool
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bass — low music
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. swing — music
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  24. bass — the instrument

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