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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: staff · bass · pop · branch · band · hide · capital · press

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. staff — employees
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — to visit
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. press — newspapers
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. capital — a city
  13. staff — a stick
  14. band — a music group
  15. bass — the fish
  16. staff — employees
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. press — a publisher
  19. capital — money
  20. pop — soda
  21. press — to push
  22. band — a ring
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. branch — a division

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