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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · stem · bark · wake · race · rush · pit · bass

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. land — ground
  3. pit — in a race
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — low music
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. race — the arms race
  11. pit — a hole
  12. race — humankind
  13. land — to come down
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bass — the fish
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. stem — to come from
  18. land — a country
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. rush — hurry
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. stem — of a plant

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