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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wake — a trail
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. spell — letters
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fall — the season
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bass — low music
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bulb — of a plant

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