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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: leaves · club · branch · bass · fall · bark · pop · ground

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for dancing
  4. ground — the earth
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. fall — the season
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. pop — soda
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bass — low music
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pop — to visit
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. club — for golf
  18. ground — a position
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pop — music
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bass — the instrument

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