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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. press — newspapers
  5. spell — a short time
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. spell — letters
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. press — a publisher
  12. cue — a signal
  13. file — a document
  14. clip — a video
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. press — to push
  17. cue — a hint
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. spell — magic
  20. cue — for pool
  21. clip — to cut
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a tool
  24. prune — the fruit

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