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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: ground · fall · stem · arm · mug · bass · calf · game

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. fall — the season
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. mug — to rob
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mug — a face
  13. bass — low music
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. ground — the earth
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. stem — to come from
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. ground — a position

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