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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wake — a trail
  3. face — part of the head
  4. hand — help
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rock — a stone
  10. spell — a short time
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — to protest
  15. face — to point toward
  16. object — a thing
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. branch — a division
  19. hand — in cards
  20. face — to confront
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — magic
  24. wake — before a funeral

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