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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: lean · fine · pitcher · wound · snap · leaves · bass · branch

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wound — an injury
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. fine — high quality
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lean — thin
  14. snap — to click
  15. lean — to bend
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — low music
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. fine — all right
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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