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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. staff — employees
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. prune — to trim
  9. staff — employees
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. staff — a stick
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bear — the animal
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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