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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cell — a phone
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. branch — a division
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. object — an aim
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. land — ground
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cell — in biology
  19. face — to confront
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — to protest
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. wake — a trail

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