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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: capital · rock · branch · deal · pop · bass · field · toast

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bass — low music
  10. toast — bread
  11. capital — money
  12. rock — a stone
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rock — music
  15. field — farmland
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. pop — music
  18. field — for sport
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. capital — a city
  23. pop — soda
  24. field — a subject

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