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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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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: ball · shower · band · arm · bay · bass · current · branch

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. branch — a division
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. ball — a great time
  5. band — a music group
  6. current — electric
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. ball — a dance
  12. current — happening now
  13. shower — to wash
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — rain
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. current — of water
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. arm — part of the body

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