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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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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bass — the fish
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bass — low music
  14. clip — to cut
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. stock — goods
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. stock — shares
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. deal — to handle
  24. branch — of a tree

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