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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: wound · branch · nail · bulb · jam · bass · perch · hand

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. hand — in cards
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. hand — help
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. branch — a division
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bulb — for light
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. perch — the fish
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bass — the fish

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