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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: club · wind · pop · vault · mate · branch · bass · date

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bass — low music
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bass — the fish
  6. club — for dancing
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. club — for golf
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. club — a group
  12. wind — moving air
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — soda
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pop — music
  18. date — the fruit
  19. wind — moving air
  20. branch — a division
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — to breed

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