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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. dip — to sink
  3. band — a music group
  4. rock — a stone
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. lean — to bend
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. lean — thin
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. band — a ring
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. cell — in biology
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cell — a phone

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