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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · branch · file · staff · object · content · bass

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. object — a thing
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — a division
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. staff — employees
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bass — the fish
  11. content — the amount
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a document
  15. content — happy
  16. object — to protest
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. object — an aim
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. staff — employees
  21. bass — low music
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. pitcher — a jug

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