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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: cap · bass · game · stem · bowl · hide · track · pop

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cap — of ice
  3. pop — to visit
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. track — a song
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. pop — soda
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. cap — a hat
  12. game — wild animals
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. track — to keep track
  17. pop — music
  18. track — a path
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bass — the fish
  22. cap — a lid
  23. game — a match
  24. hide — animal skin

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