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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: staff · hand · wave · pitcher · rash · fall · bass · plane

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. bass — low music
  3. staff — employees
  4. bass — the fish
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. staff — a stick
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rash — a series
  11. fall — the season
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. hand — in cards
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. hand — help
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. fall — to drop
  21. staff — employees
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. plane — a tool
  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