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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. roll — a list
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a cake
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. shower — to wash
  15. scale — in music
  16. bass — low music
  17. board — a committee
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. ground — a position
  20. shower — rain
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — to get on
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. branch — a division

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