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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: tube · can · pitcher · straw · bass · ground · stem · chair

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. tube — the underground
  5. can — a tin
  6. bass — the fish
  7. tube — a container
  8. ground — the earth
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. bass — low music
  15. chair — a leader
  16. ground — a position
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. ground — crushed
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. straw — a straw man

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