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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pass — a permit
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bass — low music
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. branch — a division
  16. kid — child
  17. wound — an injury
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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