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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rest — a break
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bass — low music
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pop — soda
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bass — the fish
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rock — a stone
  15. pop — music
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bass — the instrument

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