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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bass — the fish
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bass — low music
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pit — in a race
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pit — a hole

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