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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. mate — to breed
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cell — in biology
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cell — a phone
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bass — low music
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bass — the fish
  23. deal — to handle
  24. wound — an injury

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