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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.

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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. clip — to cut
  5. march — music
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rash — hasty
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bass — low music
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. saw — the tool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bass — the fish
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. rash — a series
  22. clip — a video
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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