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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rock — music
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bass — low music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. field — for sport
  8. branch — a division
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. field — a subject
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rock — a stone
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. field — farmland
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. file — a line of people
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bass — the fish
  24. file — a tool

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