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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: march · fan · bass · press · branch · band · ruler · swing

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. swing — to play on
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. march — the month
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. march — music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — low music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. band — a ring
  16. swing — music
  17. band — a music group
  18. press — a publisher
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. march — the month
  21. press — to push
  22. press — newspapers
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. ruler — a monarch

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