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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 · wind · prune · land · game · rock · branch · roll

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. land — ground
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bass — the fish
  12. prune — to trim
  13. game — a match
  14. branch — a division
  15. roll — a list
  16. wind — moving air
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. land — to come down
  19. rock — a stone
  20. land — a country
  21. bass — low music
  22. rock — music
  23. roll — a cake
  24. game — wild animals

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