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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: shower · track · last · bass · branch · toast · bound · pop

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. track — a path
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. last — finally
  5. pop — to visit
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — rain
  10. last — to go on
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bass — low music
  13. toast — bread
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pop — music
  16. bound — certain
  17. last — final
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. shower — to wash
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pop — soda
  24. bass — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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