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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. row — a line
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bass — the fish
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. key — the most important part
  21. rush — hurry
  22. key — in music
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. row — a quarrel

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