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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: bass · branch · suit · cold · dip · band · jam · kid

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. branch — a division
  7. bass — low music
  8. suit — clothes
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. suit — to fit
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. kid — child
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. suit — in cards
  18. band — a ring
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. band — a music group
  22. bass — the fish
  23. cold — not warm
  24. dip — to sink

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