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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: ground · roll · rock · land · bass · stick · bear · lean

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bass — the fish
  4. land — a country
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. roll — a list
  10. rock — music
  11. land — ground
  12. rock — a stone
  13. ground — crushed
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. ground — a position
  16. land — to come down
  17. roll — a cake
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bear — the animal
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — thin
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bear — the animal

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