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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: bark · club · land · capital · mouse · stem · rush · bass

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. land — ground
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. club — for dancing
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. stem — to come from
  10. capital — a city
  11. land — to come down
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bass — the fish
  15. capital — money
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. land — a country
  18. club — a group
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bass — low music
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bark — to shout
  24. club — for golf

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