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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bass — the fish
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bass — low music
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. kick — in football
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wound — an injury

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