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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: ball · bass · stem · chest · current · mark · perch · pound

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. mark — a grade
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pound — a weight
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. current — of water
  12. mark — a trace
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. chest — a box
  16. current — electric
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. perch — the fish
  19. chest — of your body
  20. ball — a great time
  21. current — happening now
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — the fish

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