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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: stem · content · net · rule · hide · bass · pop · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bass — low music
  7. content — happy
  8. rule — government
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. net — for catching
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — a law
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pop — to visit
  17. spring — of water
  18. pop — soda
  19. net — after costs
  20. spring — the season
  21. net — in sport
  22. stem — to come from
  23. pop — 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