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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: bat · foot · mate · squash · bark · mug · bass · rush

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. mug — a face
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bass — the fish
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bark — to shout
  13. mate — a friend
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mug — to rob
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bass — low music
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — to breed
  23. foot — a measure
  24. squash — to crush

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