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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. suit — in cards
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. race — a contest
  9. stand — to bear
  10. spell — letters
  11. suit — clothes
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. race — the arms race
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. fork — in a road
  20. race — humankind
  21. spring — of water
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. suit — to fit
  24. bass — the fish

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