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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 124 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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — the fish
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. march — the month
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bank — of a river
  9. march — music
  10. mine — for digging
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. march — the month
  13. suit — in cards
  14. bank — for money
  15. suit — clothes
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bank — for money
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bass — low music
  20. suit — to fit
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — an explosive

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