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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 · ground · net · suit · bark · band · mug · bat

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bat — the animal
  3. mug — a face
  4. suit — clothes
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bass — the fish
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. bass — low music
  10. bark — to shout
  11. suit — to fit
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. suit — in cards
  17. band — a music group
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. net — after costs
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. band — a ring

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