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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.

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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: bass · spring · toast · pop · stem · hide · board · chair

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. chair — a leader
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. toast — bread
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spring — of water
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. board — to get on
  13. pop — to visit
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. spring — the season
  18. pop — soda
  19. board — a committee
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — low music
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — a stem cell

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