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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. cap — a lid
  2. squash — the sport
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. cap — of ice
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cap — a hat
  13. squash — to crush
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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