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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bass — the fish
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. row — a line
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bound — certain
  16. lie — to recline
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. prune — to trim
  20. row — to paddle
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bass — the instrument

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