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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: toast · tear · racket · snap · bass · fine · branch · dip

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  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 speak sharply
  2. fine — all right
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bass — the fish
  5. toast — bread
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. snap — to click
  11. branch — a division
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. tear — to rip
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bass — low music
  17. fine — high quality
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. toast — the most admired
  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