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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: suit · stem · kid · bass · rule · mine · scale · land

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bass — low music
  4. rule — government
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. land — to come down
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — to fit
  12. bass — the fish
  13. suit — in cards
  14. land — ground
  15. scale — in music
  16. land — a country
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — for digging
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — a law
  24. stem — to come from

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