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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. saw — the tool
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. saw — the tool
  7. branch — a division
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — the fish
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. net — after costs
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bass — low music
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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