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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 116 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 · bass · shower · rush · firm · bound · wound · swing

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bound — certain
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wound — an injury
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. firm — steady
  7. branch — a division
  8. firm — a company
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bass — the fish
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bass — low music
  14. shower — rain
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. firm — decided
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. swing — music
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. swing — to play on
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bound — tied together
  23. shower — to wash
  24. swing — in golf

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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