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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: bear · perch · file · bass · wake · coach · bat · press

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bass — the fish
  3. press — a publisher
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wake — a trail
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. press — to push
  12. file — a document
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. file — a tool
  15. bat — the animal
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bass — low music
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. file — a line of people
  24. coach — a trainer

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