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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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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: dip · mouse · bass · cold · rash · spell · plane · band

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. rash — a series
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. spell — magic
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bass — the fish
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. spell — letters
  13. cold — an illness
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bass — low music
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. dip — to sink
  19. band — a music group
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. band — a ring
  23. cold — not warm
  24. dip — to dunk

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