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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. race — humankind
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. race — a contest
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bass — the fish
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. prune — to trim
  17. lean — to bend
  18. race — the arms race
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mine — for digging
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. cabinet — ministers

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