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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: branch · perch · foot · lean · row · wound · bass · staff

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bass — the fish
  5. foot — a measure
  6. wound — an injury
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. lean — thin
  9. branch — a division
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. staff — employees
  14. row — to paddle
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wound — an injury
  17. row — a line
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. staff — employees
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. staff — a stick

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