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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: bass · charge · stem · court · prune · deal · band · fan

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. band — a ring
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. charge — a price
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. charge — electricity
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. band — a music group
  14. prune — to trim
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bass — the fish
  19. charge — in control
  20. court — of law
  21. stem — to come from
  22. deal — to handle
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. court — for 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