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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. foot — a measure
  4. rock — music
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. board — a committee
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. spell — a short time
  10. branch — a division
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bass — the fish
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. board — to get on
  19. band — a ring
  20. rock — a stone
  21. band — a music group
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. toast — bread
  24. bass — the instrument

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