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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rock — music
  3. bass — low music
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. scale — size or range
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. scale — in music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bass — the fish
  21. cell — in biology
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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