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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bass — low music
  3. march — music
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. season — in sport
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. spring — of water
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. march — the month
  20. season — of the year
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. march — the month
  24. tear — from crying

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