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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 124 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. march — music
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. net — for catching
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. net — in sport
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. march — the month
  15. capital — a city
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. net — after costs
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. branch — a division
  23. capital — money
  24. march — the month

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