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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bass — low music
  3. face — part of the head
  4. band — a ring
  5. perch — the fish
  6. dip — to sink
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — in sport
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wound — an injury
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. face — to confront
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. band — a music group
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. season — of the year
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. face — to point toward
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. band — a rubber band

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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