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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
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: stem · snap · bass · squash · march · bat · shower · wake

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wake — a trail
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bass — the fish
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. march — the month
  12. snap — to click
  13. bass — low music
  14. march — the month
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. squash — to crush
  17. march — music
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. squash — the sport
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. shower — rain
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bass — the instrument

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