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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. fall — the season
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. fine — high quality
  9. spell — a short time
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wake — a trail
  12. spell — letters
  13. fine — all right
  14. fall — to drop
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. mine — for digging
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bass — low music
  21. spell — magic
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. squash — the vegetable

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