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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. branch — a division
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. row — to paddle
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. net — after costs
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bass — the fish
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. mate — a friend
  17. net — for catching
  18. cap — a lid
  19. row — a line
  20. mate — to breed
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bass — low music
  23. mate — a partner
  24. cap — of ice

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