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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: ball · perch · wax · pop · ground · bass · pitcher · stand

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. stand — to bear
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pop — soda
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. ball — a dance
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bass — low music
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bass — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — a position
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. stand — on your feet

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