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

Word bank: face · drill · cell · wake · net · bass · race · bear

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bass — low music
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bass — the fish
  6. net — in sport
  7. drill — army training
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — the tool
  11. race — humankind
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bear — the animal
  20. race — the arms race
  21. cell — a phone
  22. face — part of the head
  23. race — a contest
  24. wake — before a funeral

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