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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. club — a group
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. file — a document
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. fall — to drop
  9. club — for dancing
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. deal — to handle
  13. club — for golf
  14. fall — the season
  15. rock — a stone
  16. file — a tool
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. file — a line of people
  22. rock — music
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pitcher — a jug

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