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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. hand — in cards
  6. court — for sport
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. court — of law
  12. bass — the fish
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. court — of a king
  24. mouse — the animal

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