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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bass — low music
  3. board — to get on
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. board — a committee
  7. wound — an injury
  8. object — to protest
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. ground — a position
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. object — a thing
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. dip — to sink
  15. object — an aim
  16. bass — the fish
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wound — an injury
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. prune — to trim
  23. ground — crushed
  24. temple — a place of worship

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