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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: bulb · pop · clip · row · roll · branch · bass · drill

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — low music
  3. clip — to cut
  4. drill — the tool
  5. branch — a division
  6. pop — soda
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. roll — a cake
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bass — the fish
  13. clip — for paper
  14. pop — music
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. drill — army training
  21. pop — to visit
  22. roll — a list
  23. clip — a video
  24. drill — a practice

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