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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: lean · rash · perch · pop · bat · tube · bass · wave

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bass — the fish
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — the underground
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. pop — to visit
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pop — soda
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bass — low music
  15. lean — thin
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. lean — to bend
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pop — music

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