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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: staff · tear · pitcher · arm · ground · fine · nail · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. staff — employees
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ground — a position
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. ground — crushed
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. tear — to rip
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. fine — all right
  17. bass — low music
  18. ground — the earth
  19. staff — a stick
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. tear — from crying
  22. staff — employees
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. tear — from crying

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