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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. cold — not warm
  3. ball — a dance
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bass — low music
  8. mark — a trace
  9. root — of a plant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. suit — in cards
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. root — the cause
  15. bass — the fish
  16. mark — a grade
  17. suit — to fit
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. cold — an illness
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. root — of a word
  23. branch — a division
  24. suit — clothes

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