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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bear — the animal
  4. spring — the season
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. spring — of water
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. mine — for digging
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. current — happening now
  17. bass — the fish
  18. current — of water
  19. bear — the animal
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. current — electric
  24. wind — moving air

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