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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pitch — completely
  4. swing — to play on
  5. net — in sport
  6. swing — in golf
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. swing — music
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. net — for catching
  11. spring — of water
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bass — the fish
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bass — low music
  23. net — after costs
  24. spring — the season

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