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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: ruler · cap · bass · roll · march · bank · branch · arm

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — the fish
  3. march — music
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. cap — of ice
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bass — low music
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bank — of a river
  12. roll — a cake
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. march — the month
  18. roll — a list
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cap — a hat
  22. branch — a division
  23. cap — a lid
  24. march — the month

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