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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: kid · sharp · press · bass · bore · squash · net · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. sharp — clever
  3. kid — child
  4. bass — low music
  5. branch — a division
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. net — in sport
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. net — after costs
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — the sport
  16. press — a publisher
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. press — to push
  19. bore — to tire
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bore — to drill
  22. kid — to tease
  23. squash — to crush
  24. net — for catching

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