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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: sharp · bass · cold · cap · stem · can · mark · rock

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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. bass — the fish
  2. stem — to come from
  3. sharp — clever
  4. can — a tin
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. mark — a grade
  10. rock — a stone
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — music
  14. cap — a hat
  15. can — a tin
  16. mark — a trace
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — low music
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cold — an illness
  22. can — to be able to
  23. cap — of ice
  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