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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bass — low music
  5. row — to paddle
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. wound — an injury
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bear — the animal
  14. branch — a division
  15. bass — the fish
  16. can — a tin
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. row — a line
  19. bear — the animal
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. file — a document
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wound — an injury

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