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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 116 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. scale — in music
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. spell — letters
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. net — for catching
  12. fall — the season
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. net — after costs
  15. fall — to drop
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fall — to drop
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spell — magic
  21. scale — size or range
  22. prune — to trim
  23. net — in sport
  24. leaves — to go away

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