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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.

Make a worksheet

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: ground · wind · bass · bark · perch · chest · rush · mug

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mug — a face
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bass — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bark — to shout
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bass — low music
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. chest — a box
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mug — a cup
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. ground — the earth

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