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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: mark · branch · fan · bass · last · staff · band · ground

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bass — the fish
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bass — low music
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mark — a grade
  9. staff — a stick
  10. band — a ring
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. staff — employees
  13. band — a music group
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. staff — employees
  16. ground — a position
  17. last — to go on
  18. mark — a trace
  19. last — finally
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. ground — crushed
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. last — final

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