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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 120 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: rush · branch · land · vault · wake · coach · kick · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. land — to come down
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wake — a trail
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. land — ground
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. branch — a division
  11. bass — the fish
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. vault — a safe
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. kick — in football
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. rush — hurry
  24. land — a country

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