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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 · mark · chair · last · branch · kid · calf · bank

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. last — to go on
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. kid — child
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bass — low music
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bank — for money
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bass — the fish
  19. chair — a leader
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mark — a grade
  22. last — final
  23. kid — to tease
  24. last — finally

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