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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.

Make a worksheet

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: rest · stem · bass · bound · chair · bank · key · season

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. chair — a leader
  2. bass — low music
  3. rest — what's left
  4. key — for a lock
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. key — in music
  9. season — of the year
  10. bound — tied together
  11. season — in sport
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bank — of a river
  15. stem — to come from
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. rest — a break
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. bound — certain
  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