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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. net — for catching
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bass — the fish
  6. wind — moving air
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. net — in sport
  10. suit — clothes
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. net — after costs
  16. suit — in cards
  17. suit — to fit
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bass — low music
  21. chest — of your body
  22. prune — to trim
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. wind — to turn a key

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