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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. band — a music group
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pop — soda
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lean — to bend
  7. wake — a trail
  8. season — in sport
  9. cell — in biology
  10. lean — thin
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. band — a ring
  14. bass — low music
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pop — music
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. cell — a phone
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. season — of the year

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