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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: ground · bass · bowl · perch · rash · branch · jam · net

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bass — low music
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. rash — hasty
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. ground — a position
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. bass — the fish
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. net — after costs
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. ground — the earth
  20. perch — the fish
  21. ground — crushed
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. branch — of a bank

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