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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: rest · bass · mark · scale · stem · fall · net · swing

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — to come from
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. net — in sport
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — a grade
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. swing — music
  18. rest — a break
  19. scale — size or range
  20. fall — the season
  21. scale — in music
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. rest — what's left
  24. swing — in golf

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