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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. squash — the sport
  3. key — in music
  4. field — farmland
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. field — a subject
  12. bass — the fish
  13. squash — to crush
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. key — for a lock
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. key — the most important part
  18. lean — thin
  19. field — for sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bass — low music
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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