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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — low music
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mate — a partner
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. ball — a great time
  12. perch — the fish
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bulb — for light
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. branch — a division
  18. kick — in football
  19. bulb — for light
  20. ball — a dance
  21. mate — a friend
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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