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

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. scale — in music
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — a group
  14. scale — size or range
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. branch — a division
  18. scale — for weighing

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