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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.

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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: wound · hand · bass · game · stem · squash · stick · scale

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. game — wild animals
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. game — a match
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bass — the fish
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. hand — in cards
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. wound — an injury
  18. hand — help
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bass — low music
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stem — to come from
  24. squash — the sport

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