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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 120 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. row — to paddle
  3. charge — electricity
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bass — the fish
  6. chest — a box
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. charge — a price
  10. row — a line
  11. prune — to trim
  12. snap — to click
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. chest — of your body
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. charge — in control
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. prune — to trim
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. hide — to keep secret

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