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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: bass · rush · game · craft · mate · branch · wound · arm

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mate — to breed
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bass — the fish
  7. craft — boats
  8. wound — an injury
  9. branch — a division
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — hurry
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. craft — a skill
  20. game — wild animals
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bass — low music
  24. branch — of a tree

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