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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.

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: pitcher · stem · rash · present · bass · capital · mouse · ground

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. present — a gift
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bass — the fish
  8. ground — crushed
  9. present — there
  10. bass — low music
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. stem — to come from
  13. present — the time now
  14. capital — money
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. capital — a city
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rash — hasty
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ground — the earth
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. ground — a position

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