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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 120 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. vault — a safe
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wound — an injury
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bass — low music

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