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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. branch — a division
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. shower — to wash
  5. roll — a list
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. land — ground
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bass — the fish
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bass — low music
  15. pop — soda
  16. roll — a cake
  17. stand — to bear
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. deal — to handle
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. pop — to visit
  24. shower — rain

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