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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: cabinet · racket · branch · lean · bass · bear · hand · dip

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bear — the animal
  3. lean — thin
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. branch — a division
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bass — low music
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. hand — in cards
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. dip — to sink
  21. lean — to bend
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bear — the animal
  24. racket — for tennis

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