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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ground — a position
  4. scale — size or range
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. ground — crushed
  8. branch — a division
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bound — tied together
  11. scale — in music
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — low music
  16. ground — the earth
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bound — obliged
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bound — certain

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