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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: deal · bass · content · row · branch · bore · racket · net

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — happy
  3. row — a line
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. net — in sport
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. branch — a division
  15. net — for catching
  16. bore — to drill
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bore — to tire
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bass — low music
  24. net — after costs

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