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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chest · stick · straw · bass · pop · branch · patient · rock

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pop — music
  4. bass — low music
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bass — the fish
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. branch — a division
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pop — to visit
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rock — a stone
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. rock — music
  20. chest — a box
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pop — soda

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