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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — a list
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. perch — the fish
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — boats
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bass — the fish
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. tear — from crying
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. tear — to rip
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. toast — bread
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. tear — from crying

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