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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: bass · chest · bound · ruler · staff · stem · key · shower

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bass — the fish
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bound — obliged
  7. staff — employees
  8. shower — rain
  9. staff — employees
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bass — low music
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bound — certain
  15. stem — to come from
  16. staff — a stick
  17. key — in music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. chest — a box
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. key — for a lock
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stem — a stem cell

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