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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: bound · rest · ground · pound · straw · rock · bass · bat

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bound — obliged
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rest — a break
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bass — low music
  19. pound — a weight
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. ground — a position
  23. bound — certain
  24. rock — music

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