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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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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. wind — to turn a key
  2. bass — low music
  3. content — the amount
  4. net — in sport
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. hand — help
  7. bass — the fish
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — to bend
  19. wind — moving air
  20. net — after costs
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. net — for catching
  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