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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pound — a weight
  4. spell — letters
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. rest — a break
  7. spell — a short time
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. wind — moving air
  10. suit — in cards
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wind — moving air
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. suit — to fit
  15. bass — low music
  16. rest — what's left
  17. tear — to rip
  18. spell — magic
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. suit — clothes
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. branch — a division

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