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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. root — of a word
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. can — a tin
  8. root — of a plant
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. root — the cause
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. hand — help
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. can — to be able to
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. dip — to sink
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bass — the fish
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. can — a tin

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