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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: chest · stem · spell · pit · bass · racket · march · rush

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. chest — a box
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. spell — magic
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. march — the month
  9. chest — of your body
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. stem — to come from
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pit — in a race
  17. march — music
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. chest — of your body
  20. march — the month
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bass — low music
  23. pit — a hole
  24. spell — letters

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