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

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bass — low music
  5. bank — for money
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. can — to be able to
  8. rest — what's left
  9. can — a tin
  10. date — the fruit
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. branch — a division
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bass — the fish
  15. can — a tin
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bank — for money
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bank — of a river
  22. rest — a break
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. date — on the calendar

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