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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  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. present — the time now
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bass — low music
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — humankind
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. prune — to trim
  10. present — a gift
  11. fine — high quality
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. present — there
  15. wind — moving air
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. fine — all right
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bass — the fish
  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