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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 120 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 · straw · game · bear · pop · face · mouse · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. pop — to visit
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. face — to confront
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pop — music
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bass — low music
  15. pop — soda
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. branch — a division
  19. bear — the animal
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. game — a match
  24. mouse — for a computer

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