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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: bass · branch · dip · game · pound · hide · prune · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. dip — to sink
  3. land — a country
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. bass — low music
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. branch — a division
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — a weight
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. prune — to trim
  17. land — ground
  18. bass — the fish
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. prune — to trim
  23. game — wild animals
  24. branch — of a bank

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