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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pop — music
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bass — the fish
  9. staff — employees
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — the cause
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. root — of a plant
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bass — low music
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pop — soda
  24. staff — a stick

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