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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: rush · mate · stem · bass · sharp · tube · pitcher · fall

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. fall — to drop
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bass — low music
  6. fall — the season
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. mate — to breed
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mate — a partner
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stem — to come from
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. tube — a container
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bass — the instrument

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