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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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468
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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. spring — a coil
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. spring — the season
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bass — low music
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. scale — in music
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bass — the fish
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fork — in a road
  17. wake — a trail
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. spring — of water
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. scale — size or range

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