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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. mate — a partner
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wind — moving air
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. board — a committee
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bass — low music
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. mate — a friend
  17. branch — a division
  18. season — in sport
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. board — to get on
  21. wind — moving air
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bass — the fish
  24. wake — a trail

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