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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: last · sharp · bass · band · stem · spring · mouse · squash

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bass — low music
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. spring — the season
  7. last — to go on
  8. spring — of water
  9. squash — the sport
  10. band — a ring
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. last — finally
  17. spring — a coil
  18. squash — to crush
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. band — a music group
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. last — final
  24. stem — of a plant

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