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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. season — in sport
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. mug — a cup
  11. season — of the year
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pit — a hole
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bass — low music
  18. mug — a face
  19. pit — in a race
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bass — the fish
  22. mug — to rob
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. roll — a list

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