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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. shower — to wash
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. root — of a plant
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. pop — music
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bat — the animal
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. shower — rain
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. root — of a word
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pop — to visit
  20. root — the cause
  21. pop — soda
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bass — the fish

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