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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: wave · tube · bay · branch · stem · snap · bass · drill

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. stem — to come from
  3. tube — the underground
  4. drill — the tool
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. drill — a practice
  7. snap — to click
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bass — the fish
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. branch — a division
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. tube — a container
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. drill — army training
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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