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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: season · calf · chair · stem · hand · bass · wind · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — a weight
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wind — moving air
  7. season — in sport
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. season — of the year
  12. hand — help
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bass — low music
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. chair — a leader
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pound — to hit hard

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