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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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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: shower · squash · stem · perch · bass · firm · scale · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. squash — to crush
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bass — low music
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. scale — in music
  9. firm — a company
  10. bass — the fish
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stem — to come from
  13. perch — the fish
  14. squash — the sport
  15. scale — size or range
  16. firm — steady
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. shower — rain
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. firm — decided

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