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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bound — tied together
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. spring — a coil
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. spring — of water
  15. bound — obliged
  16. spring — the season
  17. bass — the fish
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — to get on
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. wound — an injury
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. current — electric
  24. bound — certain

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