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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cell — a phone
  7. race — a contest
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. cell — in biology
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. race — the arms race
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. branch — a division
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. race — humankind
  22. saw — the tool
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. lie — to recline

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