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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 124 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. sharp — clever
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bass — the fish
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. swing — in golf
  8. tear — from crying
  9. swing — to play on
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. root — of a word
  12. tear — from crying
  13. root — the cause
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bass — low music
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. tear — to rip
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. root — of a plant
  22. swing — music
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — with an edge

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