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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. rash — a series
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. snap — to click
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. root — the cause
  14. track — a path
  15. fall — to drop
  16. root — of a word
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fall — the season
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bass — the fish
  23. root — of a plant
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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