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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spring · last · rule · firm · bass · pitcher · leaves · pop

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rule — a law
  3. firm — decided
  4. spring — the season
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. firm — a company
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. last — final
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. last — to go on
  16. firm — steady
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. rule — government
  19. pop — soda
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — of water
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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