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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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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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: scale · tear · rest · mug · bass · stick

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. rest — a break
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rest — what's left
  5. scale — size or range
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. scale — in music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. mug — to rob
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rest — what's left
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bass — low music
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mug — a cup

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