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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bass — low music
  3. band — a music group
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. squash — to crush
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bear — the animal
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bass — the fish
  19. band — a ring
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. trunk — of a car

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