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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: mouse · net · bass · stem · toast · drill · hand · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bass — the fish
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. net — in sport
  5. hand — help
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. net — after costs
  8. bass — low music
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. hand — in cards
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. drill — the tool
  15. toast — bread
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. drill — army training
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. drill — a practice
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. rash — hasty
  22. net — for catching
  23. rash — a series
  24. toast — the most admired

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