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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bass — low music
  4. club — for dancing
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. staff — employees
  8. lean — thin
  9. staff — employees
  10. bass — the fish
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. club — for golf
  15. file — a line of people
  16. prune — to trim
  17. staff — a stick
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. lean — to bend
  21. prune — to trim
  22. file — a document
  23. mate — to breed
  24. file — a tool

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