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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 116 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 · mine · fine · mark · sharp · cell · racket · branch

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bass — the fish
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. mark — a trace
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mark — a grade
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. fine — high quality
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bass — low music
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. branch — a division
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. sharp — with an edge

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