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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. scale — in music
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bear — the animal
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bear — the animal
  16. press — a publisher
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bass — low music
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. press — to push
  21. scale — size or range
  22. band — a ring
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. band — a music group

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