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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: nail · pitcher · pop · bass · branch · file

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bass — the fish
  3. file — a tool
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bass — low music
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. file — a line of people
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pop — music
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pop — soda
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. file — a document
  17. branch — a division
  18. 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