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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: stick · mouse · pit · bass · lean · club · bore · bear

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. lean — to bend
  3. club — for golf
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bass — low music
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. club — a group
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bore — to tire
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. lean — thin

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