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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: bound · wake · bass · saw · plane · branch · chip · rash

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bass — low music
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. rash — hasty
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rash — a series
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. chip — to eat
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — the fish
  19. branch — a division
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bound — certain

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