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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 116 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: drill · bass · fall · stick · staff · stem · cabinet · wake

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bass — the fish
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bass — low music
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — the tool
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. drill — a practice
  14. staff — employees
  15. fall — the season
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wake — a trail
  21. staff — employees
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. staff — a stick
  24. cabinet — ministers

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