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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wake — a trail
  4. pop — music
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pop — soda
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. last — to go on
  12. clip — to cut
  13. branch — a division
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bass — the fish
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. clip — a video
  21. bass — low music
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. last — finally

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