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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bear — the animal
  9. net — for catching
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. net — after costs
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. net — in sport
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bass — the fish
  24. branch — of a bank

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