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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. capital — money
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bank — for money
  10. capital — a city
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bank — for money
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. press — a publisher
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. press — to push
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bank — of a river
  21. perch — the fish
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bass — low music

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