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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 116 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 · staff · pit · pop · stem · season · coach · mine

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pop — to visit
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pit — a hole
  7. mine — for digging
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. staff — employees
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pop — soda
  12. pit — in a race
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. season — of the year
  16. staff — a stick
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bass — the fish
  21. season — in sport
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bass — low music
  24. pop — music

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