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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 120 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. branch — a division
  3. face — to confront
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. suit — in cards
  7. spell — letters
  8. ground — a position
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bass — low music
  11. suit — clothes
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. face — to point toward
  16. spell — a short time
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ground — crushed
  21. spell — magic
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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