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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 120 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. ground — a position
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. root — of a plant
  7. pop — to visit
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. mug — a cup
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a face
  16. pop — soda
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. root — of a word
  21. pop — music
  22. root — the cause
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. ground — the earth

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