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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — army training
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — the underground
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. drill — the tool
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bass — low music
  19. tube — a container
  20. game — a match
  21. wake — a trail
  22. game — wild animals
  23. prune — to trim
  24. leaves — of a tree

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