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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.

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: mouse · stand · wound · bat · bass · ground · jam · rest

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bass — low music
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. ground — a position
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bat — the animal
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. bass — the fish
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rest — a break
  17. ground — the earth
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. stand — to bear
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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