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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: branch · hide · stand · lean · season · bass · bat · tube

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. lean — thin
  12. bat — the animal
  13. tube — a container
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. bass — the fish
  21. lean — to bend
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bass — low music
  24. bat — for baseball

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