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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 116 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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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: bass · stem · cap · club · court · wound · last · pound

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. court — of law
  4. bass — low music
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pound — a weight
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. club — for golf
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. last — finally
  15. club — for dancing
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bass — the fish
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. last — final
  21. club — a group
  22. stem — to come from
  23. court — for sport
  24. last — to go on

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