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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: racket · pop · stem · capital · chair · lie · club · bass

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — music
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — a group
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bass — the fish
  13. capital — money
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. capital — a city
  16. lie — to recline
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. club — for golf
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pop — soda
  21. bass — low music
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. chair — a leader
  24. lie — an untruth

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