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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: nail · bat · bass · coach · bulb · saw · branch · march

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. march — music
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. march — the month
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. branch — a division
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. saw — the tool
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bass — the fish
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. march — the month
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bass — low music
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. branch — of a bank

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