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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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 — a trail
  2. present — there
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. board — a committee
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. craft — a skill
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. squash — the sport
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. craft — boats
  13. present — a gift
  14. board — to get on
  15. squash — to crush
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bass — low music
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. branch — a division
  21. present — the time now
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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