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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. fine — all right
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cap — a hat
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. pop — music
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pop — soda
  12. wake — a trail
  13. swing — in golf
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pop — to visit
  16. swing — music
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. branch — a division
  19. key — in music
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. swing — to play on
  24. fine — high quality

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