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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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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 · foot · branch · sharp · bass · snap · rush · pound

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. staff — a stick
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bass — the fish
  15. rush — hurry
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bass — low music
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. branch — a division
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. branch — of a tree

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