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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. fall — the season
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. spell — letters
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — to rob
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wake — a trail
  14. face — to point toward
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. face — part of the head
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — magic
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. face — to confront
  24. bank — for money

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