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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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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: tear · dip · ground · rush · rest · chest · snap · bass

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — low music
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. ground — a position
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rest — what's left
  15. chest — a box
  16. snap — to click
  17. bass — the fish
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rush — hurry
  21. tear — from crying
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — to sink
  24. tear — to rip

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