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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. march — the month
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. branch — a division
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fine — all right
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fine — high quality
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wound — an injury

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