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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 120 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bass — low music
  8. hand — help
  9. prune — to trim
  10. stock — shares
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. tear — to rip
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stock — goods
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. leaves — lets stay

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