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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bass — low music
  3. date — the fruit
  4. branch — a division
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. toast — bread
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. wake — a trail
  17. stem — to come from
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bass — the fish
  20. mine — for digging
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. mine — belonging to me

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