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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: firm · rash · key · last · row · rock · bass · stem

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  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. last — to go on
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rash — hasty
  7. firm — steady
  8. key — for a lock
  9. last — finally
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. key — in music
  12. bass — low music
  13. stem — to come from
  14. rash — a series
  15. last — final
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bass — the fish
  19. firm — a company
  20. key — the most important part
  21. firm — decided
  22. row — a line
  23. row — to paddle
  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