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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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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: chair · bass · racket · stem · rest · ruler · wax · stock

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. stock — goods
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. stock — shares
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bass — low music
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. stem — to come from
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bass — the fish
  17. rest — a break
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. chair — a leader
  23. rest — what's left
  24. ruler — for measuring

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