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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
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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: hide · bass · plane · staff · mouse · bound · club · bat

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bass — the fish
  3. club — a group
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bass — low music
  9. club — for dancing
  10. staff — employees
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. club — for golf
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bound — certain
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — the animal
  21. staff — employees
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bound — tied together
  24. plane — in geometry

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