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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: clip · spell · bass · ground · scale · shower · bear · bay

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  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. shower — rain
  2. clip — a video
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. scale — size or range
  5. spell — a short time
  6. clip — to cut
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. spell — magic
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bass — low music
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bear — the animal
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. clip — for paper
  17. spell — letters
  18. ground — a position
  19. bear — the animal
  20. scale — in music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  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