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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · club · bass · stem · spell · chip · bark · wound

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. object — a thing
  6. club — for golf
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. chip — for betting
  10. stem — to come from
  11. club — for dancing
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. object — an aim
  15. bass — the fish
  16. club — a group
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bark — to shout
  19. spell — magic
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. object — to protest
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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