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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: bass · rest · row · branch · saw · mug · pitcher · club

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mug — a face
  4. saw — the tool
  5. club — for golf
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — the fish
  9. row — to paddle
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mug — to rob
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. club — a group
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bass — low music
  19. mug — a cup
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. row — a line
  24. rest — what's left

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