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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — the fish
  4. saw — the tool
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. tube — the underground
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. dip — to sink
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pitch — completely
  17. season — in sport
  18. bass — low music
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. season — of the year
  22. saw — the tool
  23. tube — a container
  24. spell — magic

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