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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.

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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: game · deal · pop · bass · fork · pitcher · stem · key

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. fork — in a road
  3. stem — to come from
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. key — in music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a match
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pop — music
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. key — for a lock
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the fish

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