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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wake — a trail
  3. swing — to play on
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. spell — letters
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. swing — music
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. stand — to bear
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bass — the fish
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. swing — in golf
  21. spell — magic
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. prune — to trim
  24. field — a subject

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