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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: chair · ball · wake · hand · field · bass · bay · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. ball — a great time
  5. chair — a leader
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. ball — a dance
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. field — for sport
  15. branch — a division
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bass — low music
  18. field — a subject
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. field — farmland
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bass — the fish
  23. hand — help
  24. chair — to sit on

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