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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 · shower · band · arm · racket · mouse · fan · sharp

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. shower — to wash
  4. band — a ring
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. band — a music group
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. shower — rain
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bass — the fish
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. mouse — for a computer

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