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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 120 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. rock — a stone
  3. spring — the season
  4. degree — an amount
  5. spring — of water
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. branch — a division
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. degree — from a university
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bass — the fish
  17. deal — to handle
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. spring — a coil
  20. chair — a leader
  21. degree — temperature
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bass — low music

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