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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bass — low music
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. branch — a division
  8. prune — to trim
  9. scale — in music
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. net — after costs
  12. cell — in biology
  13. rule — a law
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. rule — government
  16. cell — a phone
  17. net — in sport
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. net — for catching
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. scale — size or range

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