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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: rush · branch · scale · bass · rash · pitch · wind · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bass — low music
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. scale — size or range
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wind — moving air
  11. scale — in music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bulb — for light
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pitch — completely
  19. rush — hurry
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. 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