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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bass — low music
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. swing — music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. swing — in golf
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. face — to confront
  21. saw — the tool
  22. swing — to play on
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. face — to point toward

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