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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: fan · squash · pitch · root · stem · hand · can · bass

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. root — the cause
  6. hand — in cards
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. can — a tin
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. hand — help
  14. can — to be able to
  15. root — of a plant
  16. pitch — completely
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bass — low music
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bass — the fish
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. root — of a word
  24. can — a tin

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