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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. face — to confront
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. current — happening now
  9. sharp — clever
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. scale — size or range
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. current — of water
  21. current — electric
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. branch — a division

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