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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bear · ball · track · wave · branch · pound · date · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. ball — a great time
  7. track — a path
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pound — a weight
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. track — a song
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. date — the fruit
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. track — to keep track
  24. ball — a dance

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