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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. hand — help
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — a stone
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bass — low music
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. hand — in cards
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. shower — rain
  23. bass — the fish
  24. shower — to wash

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