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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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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bass — low music
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pop — to visit
  8. mine — for digging
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. pop — soda
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pop — music
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. kid — to tease
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. kid — child
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bass — the fish

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