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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 · last · pound · ball · bass · chip · ruler · cold

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. branch — a division
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pound — a weight
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. last — to go on
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. last — finally
  13. bass — low music
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. last — final
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — for betting
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  24. ruler — for measuring

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