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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: staff · bass · branch · kid · bay · nail · mouse · row

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bass — the fish
  4. row — to paddle
  5. staff — a stick
  6. kid — to tease
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. branch — a division
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. row — a line
  13. staff — employees
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. kid — child
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. staff — employees
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bass — low music

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