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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bass — low music
  4. shower — to wash
  5. branch — a division
  6. degree — from a university
  7. hand — in cards
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. pop — to visit
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. degree — temperature
  16. stand — to bear
  17. pop — soda
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. hand — help
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. shower — rain
  22. pop — music
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. degree — an amount

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