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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: pop · cabinet · bass · branch · bowl · rest · rash · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. pop — music
  4. rest — a break
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bass — low music
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rash — a series
  10. bass — the fish
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pop — to visit
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. branch — a division
  17. pop — soda
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. cabinet — ministers

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