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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 120 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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  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. wake — a trail
  2. bound — tied together
  3. current — of water
  4. bass — low music
  5. branch — a division
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. current — electric
  8. face — to point toward
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. current — happening now
  11. bass — the fish
  12. face — part of the head
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bound — certain
  17. face — to confront
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bound — obliged
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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