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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: bass · bore · club · content · stick · wound · wake · branch

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. branch — a division
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. club — for dancing
  12. content — happy
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bass — low music
  18. club — for golf
  19. content — the amount
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wound — an injury
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. club — a group
  24. bore — to tire

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