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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: fan · stem · pitcher · foot · bass · pass · fall · march

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bass — low music
  4. fall — to drop
  5. march — music
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bass — the fish
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. fall — to drop
  15. march — the month
  16. pass — a permit
  17. fall — the season
  18. march — the month
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. foot — a measure

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