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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.

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: rush · stem · bear · arm · bass · kid · capital · ball

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bear — the animal
  3. capital — a city
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bear — the animal
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bass — the fish
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. capital — money

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