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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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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: object · sharp · coach · pass · bass · hand · branch · fan

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. object — a thing
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bass — low music
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. object — to protest
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bass — the fish
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. object — an aim
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pass — a permit
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. hand — in cards
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. branch — a division

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