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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: kick · hide · scale · bass · straw · stick · ground · stand

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. scale — size or range
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — in football
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bass — low music
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bass — the fish
  24. stand — for spectators

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