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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: ground · scale · firm · dip · bass · straw · band · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bass — the fish
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. dip — to sink
  6. ground — crushed
  7. scale — in music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. ground — a position
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. band — a ring
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. firm — steady
  14. rash — a series
  15. firm — decided
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a music group
  21. ground — the earth
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. firm — a company
  24. bass — low 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