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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: rest · stem · game · field · bass · stick · board · spell

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. bass — low music
  2. rest — what's left
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. board — to get on
  6. game — a match
  7. field — farmland
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. spell — letters
  10. bass — the fish
  11. board — a committee
  12. stem — to come from
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. spell — magic
  16. game — wild animals
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. spell — a short time
  19. field — a subject
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. rest — a break
  23. field — for sport
  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