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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wind — moving air
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. spell — letters
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. spell — magic
  9. wind — moving air
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. spell — a short time
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bass — low music
  23. shower — rain
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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