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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. fall — to drop
  3. band — a ring
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cue — a signal
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. branch — a division
  11. fall — the season
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. fall — to drop
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. cue — for pool
  18. band — a music group
  19. bass — low music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. band — a rubber band

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