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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 116 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. last — final
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wake — a trail
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — finally
  8. shower — rain
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. pop — music
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. pop — soda
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. bass — low music
  24. fall — the season

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