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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: leaves · stem · snap · bass · chip · capital · fall · firm

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. firm — steady
  5. capital — a city
  6. fall — to drop
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. firm — decided
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bass — the fish
  14. firm — a company
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. chip — for betting
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. fall — the season
  20. capital — money
  21. snap — to click
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. chip — to eat
  24. capital — a big letter

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