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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 · coach · tube · wound · hand · branch · stock · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. hand — in cards
  3. deal — to handle
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wound — an injury
  6. tube — the underground
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. tube — a container
  9. stock — shares
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. hand — help
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stock — goods
  14. branch — a division
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bass — the fish
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bass — low music
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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