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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: bark · branch · roll · bass · mine · chair · dip · fan

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bass — low music
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. roll — a list
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. dip — to sink
  9. branch — a division
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. chair — a leader
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bark — to shout
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. chair — a professorship

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