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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: bass · march · court · mouse · shower · fall · can · lean

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. can — a tin
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. court — of law
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bass — the fish
  8. shower — rain
  9. can — a tin
  10. march — the month
  11. shower — to wash
  12. lean — thin
  13. bass — low music
  14. court — for sport
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. court — of a king
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fall — to drop
  20. march — music
  21. fall — the season
  22. march — the month
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bass — the instrument

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