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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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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: squash · chest · sharp · bass · cell · bank · cue · perch

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bass — low music
  7. squash — to crush
  8. cell — a phone
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. squash — the sport
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bank — of a river
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bank — for money
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bank — for money
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cue — a signal

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