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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 120 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: cue · bass · leaves · saw · fan · trunk · spring · content

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cue — for pool
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — low music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spring — a coil
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. spring — the season
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. content — happy
  17. spring — of water
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cue — a hint
  23. content — the amount
  24. cue — a signal

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