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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mark — a grade
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mark — a trace
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bass — low music
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. straw — dry grass

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