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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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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bank — for money
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bank — for money
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. cell — in biology
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rash — a series
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bank — of a river
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. cell — in a prison

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