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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. cap — a hat
  7. hand — in cards
  8. branch — a division
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. object — to protest
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. object — a thing
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. net — for catching
  19. stand — to bear
  20. bass — low music
  21. object — an aim
  22. bass — the fish
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. cap — a lid

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