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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 120 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: bass · saw · chair · land · content · prune · stem · cap

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. land — ground
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. land — a country
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bass — the fish
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. content — happy
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bass — low music
  21. land — to come down
  22. chair — a leader
  23. stem — to come from
  24. prune — to trim

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