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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: capital · bass · trunk · stem · stand · ball · staff · swing

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. swing — music
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — to bear
  5. ball — a dance
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. capital — a city
  12. bass — low music
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. ball — a great time
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bass — the fish
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. stem — to come from

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