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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. charge — a price
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. charge — electricity
  12. fall — the season
  13. branch — a division
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. charge — in control
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bass — the fish
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. fall — to drop

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