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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.

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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. face — to confront
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bark — to shout
  5. face — part of the head
  6. suit — in cards
  7. content — the amount
  8. face — to point toward
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. content — happy
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — a division
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. suit — to fit
  24. suit — clothes

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