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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: last · stick · fork · cell · wake · board · bass · dip

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — low music
  4. board — a committee
  5. fork — in a road
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. last — to go on
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. dip — to sink
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. board — to get on
  14. last — final
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bass — the fish
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wake — a trail
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. last — finally

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