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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: mouse · bass · bark · hide · bat · stem · chair · staff

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. staff — employees
  4. bass — the fish
  5. stem — to come from
  6. staff — employees
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. chair — a leader
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. chair — to sit 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