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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: bowl · face · bass · pitch · prune · branch

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bass — low music
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. branch — a division
  9. bass — the fish
  10. pitch — completely
  11. face — to confront
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. face — part of the head
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. face — to point toward

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