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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. march — the month
  5. bass — low music
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. march — the month
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — thin
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. season — in sport
  24. march — music

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