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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. hand — in cards
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cell — a phone
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wind — moving air
  16. branch — a division
  17. hand — help
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wake — a trail
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. scale — in music
  24. branch — of a bank

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