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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.

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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: wound · cell · pop · chest · ruler · stand · bass · court

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. chest — a box
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. pop — music
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pop — to visit
  8. wound — an injury
  9. court — of law
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bass — the fish
  13. court — for sport
  14. stand — to bear
  15. court — of a king
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bass — low music
  20. cell — in biology
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. ruler — a monarch

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