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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: club · pop · root · mouse · drill · bass · pitcher · cell

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. pop — soda
  3. bass — low music
  4. club — for golf
  5. cell — in biology
  6. drill — a practice
  7. pop — music
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. cell — a phone
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. drill — army training
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bass — the fish
  19. root — of a word
  20. club — for dancing
  21. drill — the tool
  22. root — the cause
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cell — in a prison

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