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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: wound · pitcher · file · bass · branch · pop · object · stem

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. file — a tool
  3. bass — the fish
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. branch — a division
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. file — a line of people
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pop — soda
  13. object — an aim
  14. pop — music
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bass — low music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. file — a document
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. object — a thing
  23. wound — an injury
  24. object — to protest

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