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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. wind — moving air
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. root — of a plant
  8. mine — for digging
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. wake — a trail
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. plane — a tool
  15. root — of a word
  16. branch — a division
  17. bass — low music
  18. root — the cause
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wake — before a funeral

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