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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: bass · ground · ball · mouse · lean · shower · scale · arm

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. ground — crushed
  3. scale — in music
  4. ground — the earth
  5. lean — thin
  6. ground — a position
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bass — the fish
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bass — low music
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. scale — size or range
  21. lean — to bend
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. bass — the instrument

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