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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · mark · lie · cell · wave · bass · kid · branch

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  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. bay — a horse colour
  2. mark — a trace
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. branch — a division
  5. lie — to recline
  6. kid — child
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mark — a grade
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. cell — a phone
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. kid — to tease
  23. branch — of a bank
  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