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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. chest — a box
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bass — low music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bass — the fish
  13. cap — of ice
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — thin
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. cap — a hat
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. prune — to trim
  24. safe — out of danger

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