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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · bass · racket · ball · ground · snap · leaves · date

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. wound — an injury
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. ground — a position
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wound — an injury
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bass — the fish
  16. date — the fruit
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bass — low music
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. snap — to click
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. ball — a dance

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