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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: rock · chest · bass · stick · face · branch · capital · wake

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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 — the fish
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chest — a box
  4. capital — money
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. chest — of your body
  7. face — to point toward
  8. capital — a city
  9. face — to confront
  10. wake — a trail
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. rock — music
  21. face — part of the head
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. rock — a stone
  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