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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 116 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bark — to shout
  6. shower — rain
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bass — low music
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bass — the fish
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. mate — to breed
  20. shower — to wash
  21. season — in sport
  22. mate — a partner
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. mate — a friend

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