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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: net · stem · bass · chest · fine · press · content · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. content — happy
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. bass — the fish
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stem — to come from
  9. net — in sport
  10. fine — all right
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. press — a publisher
  13. net — after costs
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. content — the amount
  17. file — a document
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. net — for catching
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. fine — high quality
  24. chest — a box

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