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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pass — a permit
  3. branch — a division
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bass — the fish
  7. file — a document
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. file — a line of people
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. perch — the fish
  19. degree — from a university
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. file — a tool
  22. degree — temperature
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. degree — an amount

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