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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. band — a ring
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. roll — a list
  8. band — a music group
  9. perch — the fish
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bass — the fish
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. roll — a cake
  18. 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