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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 120 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: branch · present · swing · bass · wound · bulb · band · ball

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. branch — a division
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bass — low music
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bass — the fish
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. present — the time now
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ball — a great time
  13. band — a ring
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — to play on
  16. present — a gift
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bulb — for light
  20. band — a music group
  21. present — there
  22. swing — music
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. band — a rubber band

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