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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. track — a path
  3. bass — low music
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pop — to visit
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pop — music
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — for digging
  12. tear — to rip
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pop — soda
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bass — the fish
  21. wind — moving air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. track — a song
  24. track — to keep track

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