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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: straw · pit · stem · bass · pop · object · board · rush

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pop — soda
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bass — the fish
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. object — to protest
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — music
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. object — an aim
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bass — low music
  18. board — to get on
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. pit — in a race
  22. rush — hurry
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. object — a thing

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