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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. court — for sport
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. fall — to drop
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bass — the fish
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bass — low music
  18. fall — to drop
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. court — of a king
  21. branch — a division
  22. court — of law
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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