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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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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: pass · bass · toast · shower · foot · mug · can · branch

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. toast — bread
  5. mug — a face
  6. shower — rain
  7. can — a tin
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bass — the fish
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. foot — a measure
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. mug — a cup
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. bass — low music
  19. mug — to rob
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. branch — of a bank

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