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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bass — the fish
  4. season — in sport
  5. bound — certain
  6. bass — low music
  7. season — of the year
  8. bark — to shout
  9. tear — from crying
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bound — tied together
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bound — obliged
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. 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