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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 · current · bass · clip · temple · wound · bore · pitch

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. clip — to cut
  3. branch — a division
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. current — electric
  7. current — of water
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. bass — the fish
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wound — an injury
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. pitch — completely
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. current — happening now
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. clip — a video
  22. bore — to drill
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bore — gave birth

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