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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — in music
  3. present — the time now
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. club — for dancing
  7. branch — a division
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. tear — from crying
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bass — the fish
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. present — there
  18. present — a gift
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bass — low music
  22. club — a group
  23. tear — to rip
  24. club — for golf

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