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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: plane · squash · shower · staff · scale · wind · jam · bass

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. staff — employees
  3. scale — in music
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. shower — rain
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bass — the fish
  13. scale — size or range
  14. staff — employees
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. shower — to wash
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bass — low music
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. staff — a stick
  22. wind — moving air
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. jam — in traffic

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