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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. prune — to trim
  3. firm — decided
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — not warm
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. firm — a company
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. spell — letters
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. firm — steady
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bass — low music
  24. prune — the fruit

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