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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.

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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: stick · pit · squash · stem · chip · hide · fall · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fall — to drop
  4. chip — for betting
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. squash — the sport
  8. fall — the season
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. chip — to eat
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. squash — to crush
  19. pit — a hole
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stem — to come from
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bass — low music

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