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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. mug — a cup
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. charge — a price
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. race — humankind
  12. mug — to rob
  13. race — the arms race
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bass — low music
  17. ground — a position
  18. race — a contest
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. spring — the season
  22. mug — a face
  23. bass — the fish
  24. branch — a division

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