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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bass — low music
  6. mate — to breed
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. rash — a series
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bass — the fish
  16. rash — hasty
  17. pound — a weight
  18. stand — to bear
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. branch — a division

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