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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: wake · bass · wind · cell · racket · file · foot · shower

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. wind — moving air
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. shower — rain
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. file — a tool
  17. bass — low music
  18. foot — a measure
  19. cell — in biology
  20. shower — to wash
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. file — a line of people
  23. wind — moving air
  24. file — a document

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