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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bear — the animal
  13. lean — thin
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mate — a partner
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mate — to breed

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