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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: rush · leaves · wound · ground · bass · fan · court · rash

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rash — a series
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. court — of law
  8. court — of a king
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. court — for sport
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bass — low music
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. rash — hasty
  24. ground — a position

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