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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. cell — in biology
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cell — a phone
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. branch — a division
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. spell — a short time
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wake — a trail
  16. band — a music group
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. band — a ring
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. spell — magic
  24. band — a rubber band

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