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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.

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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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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: hand · bass · mouse · pop · cue · wound · bore · kid

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wound — an injury
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bore — to drill
  7. kid — child
  8. pop — music
  9. cue — a signal
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bass — the fish
  13. hand — help
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bass — low music
  16. pop — soda
  17. cue — for pool
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bore — to tire
  23. wound — an injury
  24. hand — part of the body

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