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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: date · foot · bass · fall · wake · stand · pound · branch

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  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. foot — a measure
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. stand — to bear
  8. branch — a division
  9. fall — the season
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bass — low music
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. date — the fruit
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fall — to drop
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bass — the fish
  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