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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · temple · coach · branch · snap · wake · pit · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pit — a hole
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. branch — a division
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. hand — help
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. snap — to click
  14. hand — in cards
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pit — in a race
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. wake — a trail
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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