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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: firm · tear · bass · squash · coach · branch · can · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. squash — to crush
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. tear — from crying
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bass — low music
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — a company
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. branch — a division
  18. bass — the fish
  19. tear — to rip
  20. firm — decided
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. squash — the sport
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bass — the instrument

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