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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · spell · bass · fork · toast · pop · lean · wound

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. mate — to breed
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bass — low music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. lean — to bend
  7. toast — bread
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. spell — magic
  11. pop — music
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bass — the fish
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. lean — thin
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. pop — soda
  24. mate — a partner

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