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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: stem · bass · firm · coach · rule · bark · club · chest

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. firm — a company
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. club — for golf
  11. bark — to shout
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — government
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. chest — a box
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stem — to come from
  21. firm — steady
  22. firm — decided
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bass — the fish

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