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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. root — the cause
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. face — to confront
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. club — for golf
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. root — of a word
  12. branch — a division
  13. root — of a plant
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bass — low music
  16. face — part of the head
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. face — to point toward
  20. club — a group
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. club — for dancing
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. wind — moving air

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