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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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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: wound · rash · racket · bass · cap · stem · squash · chest

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. cap — a hat
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bass — low music
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rash — a series
  18. bass — the fish
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rash — hasty
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. stem — to come from
  24. cap — a lid

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