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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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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: land · firm · branch · bass · tube · rest · jam · shower

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. tube — a container
  3. rest — a break
  4. land — to come down
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. firm — a company
  7. land — ground
  8. rest — what's left
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. land — a country
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. shower — rain
  14. bass — low music
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. firm — decided
  17. branch — a division
  18. shower — to wash
  19. tube — the underground
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. firm — steady
  22. bass — the fish
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rest — what's left

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