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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. current — happening now
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bass — the fish
  13. branch — a division
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fall — the season
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. current — of water
  18. current — electric
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bass — low music

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