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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bass — low music
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. key — the most important part
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. key — in music
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bark — to shout
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. ball — a great time
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. sharp — clever
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ball — a dance

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