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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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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 · band · roll · arm · leaves · present · saw · branch

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. roll — a list
  3. saw — the tool
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. band — a ring
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bass — low music
  11. band — a music group
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. roll — a cake
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. branch — a division
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — a gift
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. present — there
  24. branch — of a tree

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