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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bank — of a river
  6. saw — the tool
  7. row — a line
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. tube — the underground
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. row — to paddle
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bank — for money
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the fish
  19. game — a match
  20. saw — the tool
  21. tube — a container
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bank — for money
  24. bass — the instrument

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