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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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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: chair · mug · spell · bass · wave · lean · prune · dip

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. spell — magic
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. mug — to rob
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bass — the fish
  8. spell — a short time
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. mug — a face
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bass — low music
  18. lean — to bend
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. prune — to trim
  21. spell — letters
  22. mug — a cup
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — thin

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