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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 124 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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Word bank
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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. spell — magic
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — low music
  6. spell — letters
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bass — the fish
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. prune — to trim
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cue — a signal
  17. mine — for digging
  18. spell — a short time
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a hint

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