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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 116 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
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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: bass · shower · club · chair · staff · stem · file · mouse

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. club — for dancing
  4. file — a tool
  5. shower — rain
  6. club — a group
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. staff — employees
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bass — low music
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. staff — employees
  16. bass — the fish
  17. file — a document
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. staff — a stick
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. stem — to come from
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. file — a line of people

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