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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: branch · mine · rule · jam · bass · row · cap · mark

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a hat
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bass — low music
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bass — the fish
  10. cap — a lid
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. rule — a law
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. rule — government
  16. mine — for digging
  17. branch — a division
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a line
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bass — the instrument

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