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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: deal · pitch · shower · season · bank · bass · stem · scale

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bass — the fish
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bank — for money
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bank — for money
  13. bass — low music
  14. shower — rain
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — completely
  18. stem — to come from
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bank — of a river
  21. season — in sport
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. season — of the year

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