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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 120 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
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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: shower · scale · wave · bass · lean · saw · wound · pit

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bass — the fish
  3. scale — in music
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lean — thin
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pit — in a race
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bass — low music
  17. wound — an injury
  18. shower — rain
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pit — a hole
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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