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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: current · bass · staff · face · pitch · branch · shower · scale

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. face — part of the head
  4. staff — employees
  5. current — happening now
  6. pitch — completely
  7. face — to confront
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. current — of water
  10. face — to point toward
  11. scale — in music
  12. staff — employees
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bass — the fish
  15. shower — to wash
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. current — electric
  20. branch — a division
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pitch — a sports field

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