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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bear — the animal
  4. branch — a division
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. squash — the sport
  8. swing — in golf
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bear — the animal
  13. swing — to play on
  14. lie — to recline
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. squash — to crush
  17. rock — a stone
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. swing — music
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. branch — of a tree

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