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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. saw — the tool
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rest — what's left
  7. clip — a video
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. prune — to trim
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rest — a break
  14. clip — for paper
  15. tube — a container
  16. rash — a series
  17. bass — low music
  18. rash — hasty
  19. lie — to recline
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rest — what's left

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