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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: scale · jam · drill · bass · rock · mouse · degree · hand

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. scale — in music
  3. degree — temperature
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. hand — help
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. bass — the fish
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bass — low music
  17. degree — an amount
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. degree — from a university
  24. jam — a tight spot

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