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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: racket · chest · craft · bass · game · pass · branch · cell

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. chest — of your body
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. game — a match
  9. craft — boats
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bass — the fish
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cell — a phone
  16. craft — a skill
  17. chest — a box
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pass — a permit

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