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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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468
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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cap — a lid
  8. land — to come down
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. mug — to rob
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. mug — a cup
  17. land — a country
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. lie — to recline
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cap — a hat
  23. land — ground
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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