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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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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: bowl · bark · bass · branch · fine · bay · content · hand

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. branch — a division
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. hand — in cards
  12. content — the amount
  13. bass — the fish
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. fine — all right
  16. content — happy
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bass — low music
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. content — videos and posts

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