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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. march — music
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. chip — to eat
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. club — for golf
  12. march — the month
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. march — the month
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — thin
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. club — a group
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bulb — of a plant

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