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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: plane · wound · press · rush · perch · patient · bass · branch

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bass — low music
  3. perch — the fish
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — a tool
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. rush — hurry
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wound — an injury
  16. press — to push
  17. branch — a division
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bass — the fish
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. press — newspapers
  24. rush — a thrill

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