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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bat — the animal
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. club — for golf
  12. pop — soda
  13. club — a group
  14. bass — the fish
  15. club — for dancing
  16. branch — a division
  17. pop — to visit
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pop — music
  22. chair — a leader
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. leaves — of a tree

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