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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: branch · pass · lie · wake · tear · march · bass · deal

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. tear — from crying
  2. bass — low music
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. branch — a division
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. deal — to handle
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bass — the fish
  22. tear — from crying
  23. march — the month
  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