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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. shower — to wash
  3. press — newspapers
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. shower — rain
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spell — magic
  16. press — to push
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bass — low music
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. spell — letters
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. press — a publisher
  24. wave — of the sea

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