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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 124 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. march — the month
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. march — music
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rock — a stone
  10. mug — to rob
  11. rule — a law
  12. march — the month
  13. rock — music
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — a division
  16. rule — government
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wake — a trail
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — a cup
  24. wake — before a funeral

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