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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. present — the time now
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bass — the fish
  7. land — ground
  8. pass — a permit
  9. land — a country
  10. branch — a division
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — an illness
  13. land — to come down
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a match
  19. bass — low music
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. present — there
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. present — a gift

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