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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 116 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. rest — what's left
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rush — hurry
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. branch — a division
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. rest — a break
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. rest — what's left
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. calf — a young animal

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