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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. last — finally
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. last — to go on
  9. snap — to click
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — a friend
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bass — low music
  14. deal — to handle
  15. hand — help
  16. branch — a division
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mate — to breed
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. last — final
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bass — the fish
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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