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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. field — for sport
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bulb — for light
  6. row — a line
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bulb — for light
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. tear — to rip
  14. dip — to sink
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. field — farmland
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. field — a subject
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bass — low music
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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