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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 116 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. rash — hasty
  4. fall — to drop
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. bass — the fish
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bark — to shout
  18. branch — a division
  19. fall — the season
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. fall — to drop

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