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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.

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: bass · march · wound · suit · pitcher · cell · racket · branch

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. suit — clothes
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cell — in biology
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wound — an injury
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. march — the month
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. suit — in cards
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bass — the fish
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. march — the month
  23. cell — a phone
  24. march — music

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