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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rock — music
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — low music
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. tube — a container
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — a stone
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bat — the animal
  18. tube — the underground
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bass — the fish
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. branch — a division
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. racket — a loud noise

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