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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: wound · branch · chest · snap · pass · vault · stock · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wound — an injury
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. branch — a division
  7. snap — to click
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bass — low music
  10. stock — shares
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. vault — a safe
  13. pass — a permit
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. chest — of your body
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. chest — a box
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — to succeed

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