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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: ball · sharp · shower · bass · bank · stem · bark · jam

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. shower — to wash
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bass — the fish
  12. shower — rain
  13. ball — a dance
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bass — low music
  17. bark — to shout
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bank — of a river
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. sharp — clever
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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