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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 · pitch · snap · patient · craft · bass · mark · fall

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bass — low music
  3. mark — a trace
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. fall — the season
  8. bass — the fish
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. pitch — completely
  11. fall — to drop
  12. branch — a division
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. snap — to click
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fall — to drop
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. craft — a skill

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