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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: stem · lean · pitcher · branch · bass · wave · hand · mark

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  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. hand — in cards
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bass — low music
  5. lean — to bend
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mark — a trace
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. branch — a division
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bass — the fish
  15. hand — help
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mark — a grade
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. lean — thin
  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