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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bass — low music
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — the fish
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pound — a weight
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. season — of the year
  19. dip — to sink
  20. season — in sport
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. cap — a hat
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pound — for dogs

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