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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. branch — a division
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bass — the fish
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. march — the month
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bank — for money
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. march — the month
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bass — low music
  20. bank — for money
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bank — of a river
  24. march — 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