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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: bore · pop · roll · last · spell · bass · stem · row

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bass — low music
  3. roll — a list
  4. last — to go on
  5. row — a line
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. spell — letters
  8. row — to paddle
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bore — to tire
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. spell — a short time
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. last — final
  17. bass — the fish
  18. spell — magic
  19. pop — soda
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. last — finally
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pop — music

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