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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: foot · drill · ground · rest · ball · bark · bass · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. rest — a break
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ground — the earth
  9. foot — a measure
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. drill — army training
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. drill — the tool
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bark — to shout
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ground — a position

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