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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bank — for money
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bank — for money
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bank — of a river
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. wound — an injury
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. saw — the tool
  24. dip — to sink

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