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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: pop · ruler · content · present · rest · stem · file · bass

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. content — the amount
  5. file — a tool
  6. present — a gift
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. stem — to come from
  9. present — the time now
  10. content — happy
  11. rest — what's left
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. file — a document
  15. present — there
  16. pop — to visit
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. pop — music
  19. rest — a break
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pop — soda
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bass — the instrument

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