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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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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: hide · ground · face · mug · rash · lean · rock · bass

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. face — to point toward
  3. rash — hasty
  4. lean — to bend
  5. mug — to rob
  6. rock — a stone
  7. lean — thin
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. face — to confront
  13. bass — low music
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. ground — crushed
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. ground — a position
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. mug — a cup
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. face — part of the head
  24. ground — the earth

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