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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: land · rush · rock · deal · ball · branch · pit · bass

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pit — a hole
  3. land — a country
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rush — hurry
  7. land — to come down
  8. bass — low music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bass — the fish
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — music
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. branch — a division
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. ball — a great time
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. land — ground
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pit — in a race

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