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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 120 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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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: fall · bass · kid · stem · dip · pitch · object · pound

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. fall — the season
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. dip — to sink
  6. pitch — completely
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. object — to protest
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. fall — to drop
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. object — a thing
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. kid — to tease
  21. object — an aim
  22. kid — child
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. pound — to hit hard

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