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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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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: last · bass · can · game · branch · face · date · deal

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. last — to go on
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — to handle
  5. game — a match
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bass — low music
  9. last — final
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. can — a tin
  12. game — wild animals
  13. last — finally
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. can — a tin
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bass — the fish
  20. branch — a division
  21. face — to point toward
  22. date — the fruit
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to confront

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