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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.

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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: suit · kid · can · wound · board · bass · stem · drill

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. board — a committee
  3. drill — army training
  4. can — a tin
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. stem — to come from
  8. wound — an injury
  9. suit — in cards
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. drill — a practice
  12. kid — to tease
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. board — to get on
  18. bass — the fish
  19. suit — to fit
  20. kid — child
  21. suit — clothes
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. drill — the tool

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