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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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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: rush · pop · stick · bass · stem · capital · fall · trunk

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. capital — a city
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bass — low music
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. capital — money
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pop — music
  15. rush — hurry
  16. stem — to come from
  17. fall — to drop
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. fall — to drop
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. fall — the season
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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