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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.

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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: ground · march · bass · leaves · stock · net · branch · mug

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bass — the fish
  4. march — the month
  5. ground — a position
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. mug — to rob
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. mug — a cup
  11. march — the month
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mug — a face
  14. net — after costs
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. net — in sport
  17. ground — crushed
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. net — for catching
  20. stock — goods
  21. branch — a division
  22. bass — low music
  23. ground — the earth
  24. leaves — 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