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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: march · fine · stem · bass · club · net · cabinet · chip

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. club — for dancing
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. fine — high quality
  6. net — after costs
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bass — the fish
  10. net — in sport
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. chip — to eat
  16. club — for golf
  17. fine — all right
  18. net — for catching
  19. chip — for betting
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bass — low music
  24. club — a group

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