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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 · shower · mouse · straw · deal · pop · ground · jam

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. shower — to wash
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. scale — in music
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. scale — size or range
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — soda
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. deal — to handle
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. shower — rain
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. pop — to visit
  24. deal — an agreement

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